In Absence of Light
by Frozenleaf
Summary: With the Pokemon League announced to end, two new trainers set out into a world where the conflict between man and Pokemon, years in the making, threatens everything they thought they knew about training, pokemon, and the world in general.
1. A Boy and His Venonat

Disclaimer: Do not own anything. Will buy rights to Mareep though, if selling.

**Prologue Editted: 30/7/10**

* * *

Prologue

A Boy and His Venonat

* * *

"This just in- the Pokemon League has announced that, in the light of recent events, Pokemon training will be put on hold. The events of last Friday has provoked new questions on the quality of pokemon trainers as well as the amount of risks that can or cannot be controlled by the League. As things stand now, the Pokemon League may soon be forced to cancel the annual tournaments, which prove the biggest draw for pokemon trainers; who begin training at age ten to attain the title of "Pokemon Master"-"

_"Turn off the TV, Budew," the man said, drinking the last drop of tea in his cup. "I've heard all I needed to hear."_

_A girl nodded, getting up from her place by the Houndour. She hesitated a bit- drawn in by the bright images flashing across the screen- images of Pokemon battles, she heard, and of flames and cries of both pokemon and trainers- before her father repeated her name and she complied. _

_It was the first time she had seen such brutality, and it was the first thing she ever associated to pokemon battles._

* * *

My name is Budew Eldridge (don't you dare crack a joke about it; it was Mom's idea), Mareep herder extraordinaire, tenth in class from the bottom up in the Violet City Combined School. And I was nine years old when the Pokemon League announced that they would be closing down, two years following the revelation that pokemon training wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.

I didn't really care at the time- unlike most kids my age, I didn't really want to leave the family farm to journey across the world. I had my sights set on something else- like photography, or writing, or maybe setting up a hotel in the middle of Ilex Forest or something... Something where I didn't have to train wild creatures to fight each other for personal glory on national television.

But given the events of the past few years, it really wasn't a surprise when the announcement came. And to tell you the truth, I was glad when it did. My fellow classmates, less so. Many of them had been setting their sights on challenging the Pokemon League sometime in the future, gaining the title of Champion, and travelling all across the world.

Me? I was happy to just stay at home with the Mareep.

See, it's not like I hate pokemon or anything like it. It's just that pokemon training was always a shady business- what with random criminal organizations springing up around them; the number of fatalities everytime a pokemon got too hard to control; the amount of money spent to hush it all up so that parents would feel 'safe' when they sent their ten year old out into the wilderness alone... And then there was _that_, but it was scarcely the only reason, despite what others believed.

Would you say I was afraid of pokemon? Probably. Anyone would be afraid if you lived in a world where creatues carrying far more power than yourself were allowed to roam freely, capable of mass destruction if they had any organization or strategy. It wasn't that we humans didn't know that either, but it was more like an after-thought: Pokemons had, for centuries, served humanity without hesitation. It was only the past few years that called that into question; and even then, most people thought it was simply a phase, something to be outgrown of.

It didn't stop my classmates from becoming pokemon trainers. Far from it- in fact, they seemed even more eager, more energized, as if the deadline- the end of this year's League Tournamenet- was the end of the world. So, early that spring, they set off from Violet with their Bellsprouts and their Gastlys, fully intent on winning this year's championship before returning to their dull, normal lives.

And me? I was still in the family farm, taking care of the Mareep during my term break.

Little did I know that fate would force me away from home and into the dark wilderness that I was so intent on avoiding.

It was about three months since the first trainer from Violet won his badge from Falkner that year; when most ten-year olds were already well on their way to Goldenrod and their third badge. There had been sporadic attacks by pokemon, but nothing serious. It was then when 'it' happened.

I was on holiday, so Dad had decided it was time for me to tend to the Mareep. And let me tell you, there is nothing more stressful than taking care of a bunch of Mareep. If you leave them alone, they'll just stare at each other's faces and graze on grass. However, scare them even a tiniest bit, and suddenly you're surrounded by piles of electrically-charged frightened balls of fluff. Poke them, and you get the same reaction. And Mareep scare very easily- a stray Hoothoot call; a flash of stray lighting; heck, even an ambling Wooper freaks the whole lot of them out.

Luckily, they were utterly terrified of Dad's Houndour, Delilah, so I basically stood around counting their little tails and hoping they didn't accidentally summon a thunderstorm when I wasn't looking while she took care of everything. I liked it better that way- Delilah and I never got along well, but she was Dad's trusted compatriot, and even if I was a tiny little bit scared of her, I knew she knew what she was doing. Or at least, she put a very good act of it.

But then, even she could not predict what was about to happen this fine day.

It started out simple enough: Delilah and I were sitting on a cliff overlooking the route while the Mareep grazed their silly fluffy heads away. And then suddenly, in a blur of purple, brown, and green, the world turned into chaos.

The Mareep (and myself) were caught by surprise when this kid suddenly hurtled _up _the path, a Venonat clinging tightly onto his hat, and a pack of Rattata in hot pursuit at his heels. The Mareep, being Mareep, started maa-ing and shooting thundershocks everywhere. And me, being me, was caught totally off-guard as Delilah knocked me over to avoid being fried to a crisp from the panicked flock.

"Go away!" the boy was yelling at the furious little rodents, completely oblivious to the fact that he was charging headfirst into a thunderstorm.

"Na-nat! Venovenoveno!" the Venonat shrieked, trying to get his attention, only to get hit by a thundershock in response.

"Gnat!" The kid doubled back, narrowly avoiding being zapped by the Mareep, scooped the dazed little bug in his arms and then made a complete about-turn in mid-run when he realized that he was still being pursued by angry Rattatas.

"Thundershock!" He doubled back yet again when he realized he was being attacked by a herd of panicked Mareep.

Wait, I thought. Weren't trainers supposed to be fighting pokemon with their own pokemon?

Delilah growled in either frustration or amusement. She took a moment to watch the boy run in circles between the Rattatas and the Mareep and then glanced at me in askance. Just because we didn't get along well didn't mean that she was a disobedient Houndour, and she made that perfectly clear.

"Go ahead," I coughed, getting back to my feet. "Fry them."

Delilah howled, then dashed into the fray. And then more chaos exploded.

"Wild Houndour! Wait, they're not even supposed to appear in this area!"

"Nat nat veno naaa~!"

I watched in a mixture of confusion and amusement as Delilah let loose an ember attack, scattering the Rattatas in one smooth hit while scaring the Mareep into submission. Then, Delilah rounded up on the remaining Rattatas who were either too silly or brave to flee.

She howled and charged, easily knocking aside one rodent after another, before letting loose another wisp of sizzling flame that- while leaving no lasting damage- gave the remaining Rattatas a face-full of scorching flame and soot.

They fled after that. Even the wild pokemon in the area knew that it was better to not fight Dad's particularly ornery and sadistic Houndour.

It took me a while to calm the Mareep and assure them that no, Delilah was not about to eat/roast/tear them apart- which boiled down to making soothing noises at the bewildered fluffballs- while the Houndour watched on lazily, making growls which sounded a lot like deep-throated laughter, and a bit while longer to calm the boy and his Venonat down and apologize for torching his hat.

"S-so, that's not a wild Houndour, right?" the boy asked timidly, clutching his Venonat to his chest.

"No," I deadpanned. "That's Delilah. She's in charge of the Mareep."

He leaned forward. "They're not wild, are they?"

"What? No!" I puffed myself up as much as I could in an effort to look intimidating. "They belong to my Dad and me. You can't take them. You weren't thinking of taking them, were you?"

"Ah, no," the boy said sheepishly. "It's just, Gnat and I were in Violet and I heard that the gym leader uses Flying types, so we realized we were at a disadvantage and so we decided to train but then we got attacked by this bunch of angry Rattatas and I think Gnat did something that angered them and then -"

"Nat nat. Veno!"

"I see." I took a minute to glance over the boy and his Venonat- both of them looked like they had been through hell and back- and then sighed in defeat, extending out my hand- Dad always told me to be good to everybody, trainers or not. And to be fair, it wasn't like I hated trainers- the majority of them were interesting, if somewhat stubborn people. Delilah watched me cruiously. "I'm Budew- Dew, for short. Me and my dad live nearby. Why don't you come with us? It's a long way back to Violet or the Pokemon Center from here, and your pokemon doesn't look capable of taking much more."

The boy frowned, then glanced at his Venonat. After a minor consultation- he was paranoid we might mug him; Venonat was perfectly fine with it (I heard a hot bath being disputed)- he spun to face me and took my hand enthusiastically with a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

It was amazing how quickly his attitude changed from apprehensive to eager.

"I'm Warren Brightly," he said, quite brightly, "And this is Gnat. We're on a mission to stop the Pokemon League from closing down!"

I tried to smile, but failed badly. Of all the people I had to meet, it had to be one of those that had it in their heads that they could change the League's decision. They were a growing number, these kids, as if they expected the League would listen to anything they had to say. And the one in front of me right now had to be the clumsiest, cherriest, most incapable trainer I had ever seen in my life.

I felt a headache coming in. Delilah snorted at my feet in amusement, and the Mareep were still too scared to be moved.

If I had to pinpoint the moment it all began, it would have to be right then, right when I met Warren Brightly. I had no clue that a series of events was already unfolding, and we, the ignorant players, would be drawn into a web of deceit, anger, and betrayal. I didn't think that, in the months that followed, I would experience intense joy and fear, escape from situations I barely understood, or travel around the world with strange creatures who would trust me with their life, forging friendships I would treasure forever. I had no idea that our one meeting would call the fate of the world into balance.

I didn't know that, back then, I had unwittingly made a choice which had set my path for the rest of my life.


	2. Of Legends and Badges

**Chapter 1**

Of Legends and Badges

Dad had always mentioned that, despite what we thought or felt about pokemon training, only a heartless person would let a ten year old wander around aimlessly in the darkness after a day of brutal trekking through forbidding forests and barely-maintained mountain trails, so we always made it a habit to allow trainers to stop over the ranch whenever they stumbled across the Mareep. (It was also a good way to pay them back for the thunder shock that they, no doubt, would have suffered at the Mareeps's figurative hands.)

Most of them were nice kids, if a bit clueless about what they wanted to do. A few were a bit too proud for their own good, and boasted about how easy it was to defeat Falkner or Bugsy. Some kept to themselves, usually the more experienced trainers, but always seemed to have an eye on their pokemon at all times and were quite amiable to the Mareep. One or two were even downright nasty, and Dad kicked them out before they could so much as lay a finger on the Mareep or Delilah.

But none of them were as annoying as Warren.

I half-expected Dad to kick him out the moment he lay eyes on him. If happiness and friendliness could be annoying, then Warren was a shining example of it. We had barely made it past the gate, and already he had attempted to pat the Mareep twice (which ended up the way it usually did), attempted to stop a battle between Delilah and a particularly rebelious Mareep (and singeing his sleeve in the process) and tripped over a loose pebble while chasing his Venonat uphill, landing face-first on the dirt path. I half-wondered whether he would accidentally fall over the cliff's edge before we reached the house in an attempt to say hello to a Pidgey.

Luckily, despite the setbacks, we managed to make it back to the house in good time. And thankfully, despite his mud-caked and frazzled appearance, Dad gave him a cursory glance before welcoming him into our home. "Doesn't seem like a troublemaker," he had said, chewing on his pipe.

I groaned. "You have no idea," I told him, trudging past him and earning a curious stare.

While most kids were intensely terrified of either my father or Delilah, Warren seemed almost as if he was meeting up with an old time friend, much to Dad's amusement and Delilah's dismay. Which was probably why he had no qualms bringing 'it' up during dinner.

"Why didn't you start on your journey yet, Dew?" he asked, innocently enough, over a plate of mashed potatos and beans, his Venonat munching on some sweets he had found in his pack.

I froze, my spoon of potatoes halfway on the way to my mouth. I could see Dad's mustache twitch, ever-so-slightly, voicing his discomfort and shock at the sudden question. I tried to think. How could I tell Warren that I hated pokemon training, hated the fact that pokemon and people could get hurt, that it wasn't right to force other sentient creatures to fight for your dreams and your sake while neglecting their own, that it wasn't good to be capable of holding a miniature army on your hands, that-

"I don't like training," I hastily replied. "It doesn't matter anyways, since the League's closing down in less than a year."

"Yeah, I know," Warren said with a sigh. "It's terrible. Fighting in the Leauge is every kid's dream! Not to mention a long-standing tradition- it's been around for what, several centuries or something? My dad and my grandad competed in it, you know."

"Ah," Dad murmured. "Rolf Brightly, wasn't it?"

"You've heard of him?" Warren asked excitedly. Venonat had to hold him back from toppling from his seat and into the potatos.

"Who's Rolf Brightly?" I asked, confused.

"He was the Pokemon Champion long before you were born," Dad explained. He eyed Warren appraisingly. "I suppose you're about to tell me that you're related?"

Warren nodded. "The youngest son- my brothers have all stopped Pokemon training; even before they got to the League. That's why I have to go on my trainer's journey and take part in the Pokemon League before it closes down! I've got to show the world the Brightly name!"

"Nat!" Gnat agreed.

"But didn't you say something about preventing the League from closing down in the first place?" I asked.

"Well, yeah." Warren sat back in his chair, his eyebrows scrunched together in thought. "See, the reason why the League's closing down is because pokemon are getting harder to control, right? So my dad- he's a researcher, you know- told me that the best way to bring the League back is to... uh... 'track down the source of the problem and nip it in the bud' or something like that."

"You know that the problem isn't just trained pokemon alone, right?" Dad asked roughly, spearing one of his beans with a fork. "Even the wild pokemon are acting up. Just a few weeks ago, the Gastlys came and killed six of our Mareep. Even the League officials have no idea why they're acting up all of a sudden, and Delilah alone can't handle the Gastlys when they attack in force."

"Dad had a theory about that," Warren said. "Said something about how most of the problems started only about a few years ago, and how it usually seems too widespread to be a disease or anything else. So he said that if we talk to the Legendary pokemon, they might have some insight on what's going on. And since I'm probably gonna pass through the majority of the region on my trainer's journey..."

"Are you serious?" I blinked, incredulous. "You want to track down _Legendary pokemon _and ask them to calm the other pokemon down?"

"Basically, yup."

"Legendary pokemon, eh?" Dad stroked his mustache, his eyes serious as he digested Warren's announcement. "You do realize their existence hasn't been proven yet, right?"

"W-well, yeah. But Dad said that they exist! And besides, that's why they're called legendary pokemon, isn't it?"

"So, let me get this straight- You want to track down and talk to Legendary Pokemon, persuade the League to keep running, and intend to take on the Pokemon League challenge at the same time?" I stared, mostly in sheer incredulity, at Warren. "Are you insane?"

"Budew!" My dad barked angrily, suddenly turning his attention to me. "We do not insult guests at our table!"

That was the end of that discussion. Warren turned his attention back to the beans. I tried to fight down my embarrasment, stuffing my face with potatos. Dad glowered at me slightly before returning to his own food. Dinner was quiet after that.

Still, by the time it was nearly bedtime, I found myself standing outside the door of Warren's room, somewhat wracked with guilt. Okay, so maybe not wracked, but... uncomfortable enough.

But when I knocked on the door, I found myself staring at Warren with his Venonat, wrapped in a thick towel, swaddled like a baby in his arms. I realized that, after the mud had been washed off and the trainer gear put away, Warren looked actually kind of young- he was slightly shorter than me, and skinnier too- the oversized tee he was wearing made him look like a ghost. His hair was brown and mousy, falling over his wide blue eyes, and he seemed almost like an average kid when he wasn't hyperactively jumping around. It made me almost cringe in my guilt for insulting his sanity.

"Uh," I began awkwardly, "I'm sorry about dinner."

Warren blinked. "Eh? What's wrong about dinner?" he asked.

"Well, I- um- I'm sorry for calling you insane," I clarified.

"Oh, that," Warren waved it off with a grin. "Water under the bridge." He must have noticed how my gaze was fixated on the dreamy-looking towel-wrapped Venonat in his arms, for he continued with, "Gnat likes taking baths."

"Seriously?" I had never seen a Venonat before in my life, so as far as I knew, most pokemon hated baths just as much as Delilah.

Warren nodded. "You gotta be careful though," he cautioned me sagely. "Gnat will do just about anything for a hot bath. And when the little guy wants something, he gets it- or else you'll end up coughing up noxious poisonous gas for the next few weeks."

I stared at the little bug. He hardly looked intimidating.

"Nat?" Gnat watched me curiously. He tugged at Warren's shirt, "Nat nat nat. Veno no?"

"You two seem close," I said to Warren, almost curious. Most of the other trainers showed affection to their pokemon, certainly, but the bond between Warren and his Venonat certainly was a new one in my book.

"That's 'cuz he's my first pokemon," Warren announced proudly. "Caught him in the family attic when I was a boy. We've been together ever since. Isn't that right, little fella?"

"Veno-nat!" The Venonat nearly jumped out of his arms in excitement. I couldn't help giggling at the sight- a boy holding his wet Venonat like it was the most precious thing in the world.

"So he's your only pokemon?" I asked.

"Kinda." He grinned bashfully for a second, before his eyes lit up. "Wanna see my other one?"

He had another pokemon? I was curious- he certainly hadn't mention it before. I nodded, and with a big grin, Warren dragged me into the room.

"Now where's my bagpack?" he murmured, eyes scanning the room. He had barely spent two hours in our house, and already the room was in a mess- socks and clothes strewn everywhere, pokemon training manuals and guides chucked all over the bed, and empty pokeballs rolling all around.

I sighed inwardly, knowing that it was undoubtedly going to be me who would have to clean up the mess when he was gone.

"Ven no no," Venonat squeaked, dragging Warren's bagpack from its shady corner into the open. It was half-open, and inside I could see two towels wrapped around something round and white.

"Well done, Gnat!" Warren dug into the bagpack, pulling out the object and running his hands over it before holding it out to me.

"It's an egg!" he exclaimed brightly. "Dad gave it to me before I left. I don't know what's inside yet, but I bet you that it's gonna be strong and powerful and when it hatches, we'll totally trash Falkner with it!"

The egg was white, with orange spots all over its shell. It definitely didn't look like the Mareep eggs that Dad had found and hatched on our ranch. I ran my fingers over it- the surface was smooth and cool to the touch, and I was half-afraid that, just by touching it, I would accidentally break the shell or something. Then, there it was- a small hint of movement under the shell, a bump against my hand. "Hey, uh, Warren?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"I just felt it move."

He almost dropped the egg in his excitement with a yelp- or rather, he dropped it, but Gnat managed to save it before it hit the ground. Suddenly, I found myself huddled next to Warren and Venonat, all of us watching the egg intensely for any signs of movement.

"What do you think it'll be?" Warren asked me eagerly when it begun to twitch.

"I dunno- a Hoothoot?" I responded. I had never seen anything but Mareep eggs before, so I was just throwing in random names.

"I'm hoping it's a bug pokemon- a Caterpie?"

"Weedle."

"Nat! Venonat!"

"Pineco!"

"Too explosive- Scyther? I always wanted a Scyther- they're big and fast and they're not afraid of anything and-"

Venonat and I clamped our hands over Warren's mouth as the egg began to glow. We all watched with bated breath as the first crack appeared, then as it moved down the egg's hard surface. More cracks soon appeared, and beside me, I could hear Warren begin to hyperventilate. I gave him a nudge in the ribs to knock him to his senses. Then, the glow faded, and eggshell fragments flew at us.

One of them hit me on the face, blocking my sight for a while. Somewhere behind me, I heard Gnat screeching as others rained down upon him. It took me some time to get the eggshell out of my eye, and even more time for my vision to clear.

"Warren, what is it?" I asked.

"I-I-I-I-" He stammered.

"Nat!"

"Warren-"

"It's- it's beautiful- Gnat, Budew, you have to look it's- its-"

I blinked and glanced up, and there I saw Warren, nearly tearing up, Venonat jumping up and down by his side, holding the remains of the base of the egg. The shell's color had dulled, and in the corner of my mind, I noted that I would be the one clearing up this mess as well. But I didn't care about that. After all, in the center of the bowl was a healthy, if somewhat orange and dumpy looking-

"Traaap."

"Trapinch." I gaped at the sight. This wasn't the first time I had seen a pokemon hatch, but this was the first time I had ever seen anyone so happy to hold a baby pokemon in their hands, had ever seen a trainer actually seem so vulnerable and happy all at the same time, so willing and eager and-

I was happy, I realized with a small shock. Watching a pokemon hatch in its trainers' arms was something that was breathtakingly sweet. I had never known that pokemon trainers could be so gentle, so warm. Even though he could be incredibly annoying, I wasn't angry at Warren training the Trapinch- looking at his expression, I knew that he was the kind of person who would put his pokemon's need before his own- and I didn't feel anything to loathing- it was apparent that the Trapinch and Gnat meant a lot more to him than just personal slaves. And inside of me, I felt warm and glad that the Trapinch was alive, and that Warren had himself a new pokemon.

"It's not a bug type," I decided to voice out. I wondered whether Warren would be disappointed or something, but the expresssion on his face was one of contentment and joy. He winced a little when I brought up the question, but soon his smile was plastered all over his face.

"Yeah, I guess Dad didn't want me running around with only bugs." He chuckled. "But Trapinch, they're not from Johto, right? Man, I wonder where Dad found this little guy." He tickled the Trapinch's head, and in a second, his hand was being eaten by a giant orange bulb. "Ow! C'mon, leggo- I'm the one that hatched your egg, you big meanie!"

"Traaaaap," The Trapinch yawned, releasing Warren's hand, before snuggling against his shirt. He was asleep in moments.

Warren chuckled. "Hatching out of an egg is tiring, isn't it?" he murmured. "I know- I'll name you Jaws. Fitting name, right, Gnat?"

"Veeno," Gnat trilled, hopping up to Warren's shoulder to get a better view of Trapinch.

Then, Warren turned to me, his eyes shining with gratitude. For the first time in my life, I realized, I had actually glimpsed into the life of a trainer, and had somehow found myself one of two people that had actually seen Jaws the Trapinch hatch. And I was there to support Warren, who was still aiming after his first badge, during one of his most pivotal moments, and I was there when Jaws opened his eyes for the first time. And you know what? Despite myself, I realized that maybe training wasn't as bad as I always thought it was.

"Please, watch us fight at the Violet gym tomorrow." His eyes were so wide and eager, that even though I felt the pit of my stomach drop at the question, I already knew my reply.

I forced out a shaky smile. "Of course I will," I said.

* * *

Next chapter: Budew accompanies Warren through his Violet Gym challenge and picks up her first pokeball.


	3. An Unfair Advantage

(AN: I realize my word count is slowly increasing. I'll try my best not to make it too wordy. Also, thanks for the review!)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

An Unfair Advantage

I had seen the Violet Gym before on my way to school- and frankly, it was pretty hard to miss when it towered over all the other buildings in Violet. It was big, and grand-looking, as most pokemon gyms were wont to do, with glass windows peering out to the world. Still, when I saw it up close, it seemed much more menacing than from out of the high-school's second-story gum-covered window. We were caught completely in its shadow at the entrance, almost as if it was daring us to come any closer.

"So, what's your strategy?" Warren had been mulling it over ever since we left the ranch early that morning, weighing the weight of Gnat and Jaws' pokeballs in his hands. He had been completely quiet the whole day, save for a good morning and a yawn, and had a serious look on his face now as he thought of his options.

"I dunno." He was staring at the sign proclaiming "The Violet City Gym", almost as if he was expecting an answer to come from it. "I mean, the last time I tried the gym challenge, Gnat and I were totally caught completely off-guard. Having Jaws is a good thing here because he's not a bug, but I don't know how to fight that well with him, and I don't expect that he can do much when he's only a day old." He sighed, shoulders drooping, as expressive as ever. I gave him a few seconds before he jumped back up, perky as ever. "Well, I guess we'll just see how it goes! I mean, Gnat and I are a lot stronger now!"

I chuckled. I had been uncertain as to whether or not it had been wise to watch Warren's gym challenge, but whatever feasible excuse I might have had were crushed when Dad, Delilah snickering silently at his heels, told me to go. "It's not good to spend so much time on the ranch during your holidays, Dew," he said, stroking his mustache. And frankly, I was quite hoping he was right- Warren seemed a nice enough kid and Falkner was a gym leader; they knew the limits of what their pokemon could or could not do. Moreover, this was the first time I had ever seen a gym battle up close and personal before, and I was actually kind of excited- not that I would ever admit that- to see how it would be like.

The gym interior was much grander than I thought it to be from the outside. I mean, I knew it was big, but I didn't know that it was large enough to contain a huge space for aerial combat, with glass platforms and windows big enough to let the sunlight flow in to illuminate every inch of it. There were seats for the audience on one side of the arena, where a few people sat watching the current challenger fight against Falkner, the cries of pokemon echoing fiercely in the arena. It seemed we had entered just in time to see the finishing blow of the previous battle.

"Hey, Budew?" Warren poked me on the shoulder.

"Yeah?" I glanced at Warren- the earlier confidence had already faded somewhat, and he looked tense.

"I know you didn't want to come, but thanks," he said sheepishly. "I'd have probably run off with my tail in between my legs already if it was just Jaws and Gnat."

I gave him a pat on the back. "I'm sure you'll do fine," I told him. "Though if you lose, I'll make you sorry for dragging me all the way here, got that?"

He blanched slightly. "You won't, really, will you-?"

"Maybe not," I conceded. "But then again, maybe Delilah will- for dragging me away from a wondrous day of Mareep herding."

Warren laughed weakly. "Well, there's something to look forward to," he muttered, before stepping into the ring.

I gave him what I hoped was my best encouraging smile before heading up to the stands. There were less people now than there was before, which meant that there were plenty of seats available. That made sense, I figured. The previous challenger looked like someone I had seen at school- chances were, he had friends and family rooting for him. I glanced again at the crowd- those that were left seemed more keen on watching a good battle than cheering on the challenger. And being from out of town, Warren's only supporter was moi.

As the referee read through the introductions and rules- Warren Brightly vs Falkner, one-on-one battle, two pokemon a piece- I found myself sitting side by side to an elderly dame. She twirled her pipe around as she watched, and being that there was nothing better to look at, I found myself fascinated by the way the smoke curled and rose from her pipe.

"You first time here, dear?" she asked suddenly.

"Ah- yes," I hastily responded, embarrassed to be caught in the act.

"I see." She nodded, then gestured to Warren. "That boy, I've seen him before. Last week, he challenged the gym leader. He lost on the very first hit. We'll see how much he has improved."

"He's improved a lot," I found myself saying somewhat acidly. There was something about her presumptious attitude that just irked me.

She raised an eyebrow. "Friend of yours, I presume?"

I nodded. She chuckled, stretching out her legs before puffing on her pipe again. "Apologies, but I'll believe it when I see it. Ah- look, the battle's starting."

And indeed it was. Falkner had already sent out his first pokemon- his Pidgey was hopping around on the ground, looking eager for a fight even though it had just beat up another challenger. Warren hesitated for a second, then hurled the pokeball with all his might- there was a flash of light, then Jaws stood on the battlefield, somewhat dazed looking from its nap, but ready to battle.

Attacks were called out, too far for me to hear, and then the Pidgey took to the air. Hurtling towards Jaws, it screeched its victory triumphantly. And prematurely, it seemed, for at the very last second, Jaws opened its giant maw and waddled forward slightly- just enough to bite down on the Pidgey's wing. It shook it a bit before the Pidgey managed to claw its way out of the Trapinch's mouth, its wing drenched in saliva.

Falkner called out another attack, and the Pidgey attempted to get into the air. Unfortunately, Warren yelled out a command at Jaws, and the Trapinch bit down- hard- on the little bird's foot. The Pidgey shrieked in pain, and I winced slightly from the sound- it was _loud_, even though I was seated near the top of the stands. When Jaws finally released its prey, the Pidgey limped slightly away from it before collapsing face-first onto the ground.

"Pidgey is unable to battle. The challenger has won this round."

As Falkner called back his pokemon, the old lady blew out another stream of smoke. "So he caught another pokemon, did he," she murmured. "Not bad- waiting for the opponent to come to you instead of trying to catch up with them. Risky approach, but it worked this time."

"This time?" Although I didn't quite like the way she spoke, she seemed to have watched many battles like this, which was more than I could say for myself.

"You'll see, dear," she said. I didn't like the glint of light in her eyes. "There is a reason why Falkner is a gym leader, after all."

Falkner soon swtiched in his second pokemon- a Pidgeotto. It stood proudly in the midst of the battlefield, preening its feathers. It seemed like Jaws was too beneath it to notice.

Warren and Jaws watched the big bird carefully, expecting it to make the first move. When it didn't do so, Warren's patience- already little to begin with- snapped, and he commanded Jaws to attack. It waddled slowly towards the Pidgeotto, and while now it eyed the little pokemon cautiously, it hardly seemed rushed to do anything.

"What's Falkner doing?" I found myself asking. "Why doesn't he attack?"

"What do you think?" my companion replied.

I was befuddled, but then the answer came- too soon, too late. At a command from Falkner, Pidgeotto leaped up gracefully into the air, flapping its huge wings. The strength of its flaps stirred up the air around it, forming two vortexes of wind hurtling straight towards Jaws. The little pokemon took the Gust attack head-on, and was knocked into the air from the might of its blow. It landed some distance away, at the base of Warren's feat, struggling to move a little before falling still entirely.

"Jaws," I gasped.

"Things like this happen in battle, my dear," the dame said with a puff. "If your friend isn't prepared for it, then he isn't fit to be a pokemon trainer."

"Trapinch is unable to battle. Falkner has won this round."

I watched in trepidation as Warren called Gnat out. He had been adamant about the fact that bug pokemon were no match for flying types, but now he had no choice.

"Ah, the Venonat." The dame smirked. "Looks like this battle will end quickly."

The Pidgeotto gave Gnat a cursory glance before launching itself into the air. It seemed that Falkner, too, wanted to bring this battle to a close quickly. It flapped its wings, the vortexes forming and hurtling towards the purple furball. There was no way for Gnat to run or dodge- the speed far surpassed everything I had seen the Venonat do. Then, suddenly, Warren yelled out something and Gnat... jumped.

Its little legs hardly seemed like it could propel it that high up into the air, but it was a bug, and true to its type, it was soon bouncing around the battlefield, evading all the Gust attacks that Pidgeotto tried to throw at it. I took this chance to glance at Falkner- he hardly seemed pressed, as if he knew he could still win this battle. Warren, on the other hand, seemed to be so intensely focused on the battle that his forehead was glistening with sweat.

Pidgeotto soon took to the air, cawing fiercely at the bouncing little furball. Apparently having foregone its distance attacks, it swooped in close for a hit, and despite Gnat's speed, I could easily see the Pidgeotto was faster. And then, suddenly, Gnat stopped bouncing. Instead, it turned towards the Pidgeotto and its antennae, usually curved and drooping, suddenly straightened out. It was as if it was forcing out an attack that I could not see, but the Pidgeotto was obviously hit by something, doubling back in pain.

"Confusion," the old woman replied to my unasked question.

Gnat took this chance to attack. Slamming itself against the Pidgeotto, it tackled it to the ground, before releasing a dense fog of purple mist.

"Poisonpowder."

It hopped back and glanced at Warren. Gnat looked exhausted, and if he had taken another hit head-on, he would have fainted. But as it was, it was still up and standing while the Pidgeotto was twitching on the ground, the poison doing its work. I risked another glance at Falkner. Instead of the look of surprise I expected, he was smirking. Smirking, as if he had won, as if he still had an ace in the hole, as if-

He called out another command. A white glow suddenly flashed and filled the arena, and when it cleared, the Pidgeotto was standing back on its feet, the damage done by poison gone, its plumage shimmering in the sunlight once more. It was still poisoned, definitely, but that little fact took a back seat to the fact that it was very angry, and very much still capable of battle.

It took only one hit for it to take Gnat out of the battle.

I was stunned. Warren was so close to winning- so close!- but he had lost through a tiny margin. He had almost conquered the flying type gym with a bug pokemon, for crying out loud, but lost through some sort of trick, some sort of underhanded shenanigan-

I turned to the lady. "What was that? That glow. Is that even legal?"

She smirked at me, and I suppressed the urge to take her pipe and throw it down into the arena below. "What, you mean Roost?" she drawled. "That's Falkner's specialty, my dear. It restores the health of the user, and yes, it's perfectly legal."

I bit my tongue and made my way down towards Warren, neglecting to say goodbye to my new 'friend'. She didn't seem all that keen in seeing me off anyways, puffing on her pipe. Warren, on the other hand, looked almost distraught, his lower lip quivering as he held an unconcious Gnat in his arms.

"I- I lost, Budew," he said once we were out of the gym, wiping a sleeve across his face. "I thought we could really win this time, but- I guess I'm not cut out to be a pokemon trainer, am I?"

"Nonsense," I told him, patting his head awkwardly. "You were at a disadvantage. And he was totally cheating! If he didn't heal his pokemon, you would've won! I'm sure of it!"

He let out a watery chuckle. "Thanks for cheering me up, Budew. But I don't think I'm gonna challenge this gym again. I mean, if I was a good trainer, Gnat and I would have been able to tackle this, wouldn't we?"

"Now you're talking nonsense," I said crossly. "Didn't you want to challenge the Pokemon League? For the Brightly name?"

"Y-yeah."

"You aren't going to let one- okay, two- defeats stop you now, are you?"

Warren opened his mouth to reply, but before he could make a sound, a ghastly cry filled our ears, and suddenly the sun was blocked out by a swarm of dark shadows. No, not a swarm- a stream, more like. Shadows stretched out from the SproutTower, swirling through the air in dark purple ribbons, flowing endlessly, as if being pulled by some unseen force. All around us, the townspeople stopped and stared, before breaking out into a panic as the shadows started attacking them, ducking out from the sky to strike anyone that they could.

"Gastlys!" Warren gaped, staring at the sky. He turned to look at me in alarm. "They're heading towards the valley!"

"The ranch!" I made a move to dash towards the town exit, when I suddenly felt a pressure on my shoulder.

"Let's not be too hasty, shall we, dear?" a relaxed, aristocratic voice said. I found myself being held back by the elderly dame from inside the gym. "Those Gastlys look vicious. Surely you don't intend to go without a pokemon, do you?"

"He has pokemon!" I gestured at Warren. "Let me go. My dad's there-"

"Your dad and everyone else," the lady replied, watching calmly as the Gastlys continued their assault. She arched an eyebrow towards Warren. "And trust me, I don't think this one will help all that much. Besides, what can two upstart trainers do against a bunch of Gastlys when there are plenty of others already fighting? You're much better off following me."

"What?" Warren, eloquent as ever, said.

Before I could think up of a reply, she swept past Warren and was standing in front of me. It took me a moment for me to realize, but I suddenly realized that there was something smooth and round in the palm of my hand. "I think you dropped this inside, dear," she said, her smirk stretched across her angular face.

"Now then," the old dame sighed, puffing on her pipe before pointing it towards the Sprout Tower. "Something must have happened there to upset the Gastlys. If you want to help the people and pokemon in the valley, you will follow me. Falkner and the other gym trainers will probably be coming out soon, so there's no reason for us to dawdle. Let's go."

It took me a while to realize that I had a pokeball sitting in my hand. It took me even longer for me to realize that the dame and Warren were already on the move towards the Sprout Tower, and that I had to catch up if I wanted to do something to help Dad and Delilah and the Mareep.

But it wasn't until much later, like when I was sprinting across the bridge that led to the ancient structure, ducking under attacking ghost pokemon, when I realized that the old woman had referred to me as a trainer, and that I now technically was one.

I almost fell into the water when I realized that part.

* * *

Next: A harrowing journey up the Sprout Tower, led by the strange madame. Just what is inside that pokeball anyways? And who- or what- is behind the sudden attack?

Also, have a cookie if you can spot plot holes.


	4. To Flee or Fight

Finally, some action. Sorry for the prologue+2 chapter build-up to this! I apologize for all the readers who had to slog through 3 text blocks of no-action for this.

Also, thanks to Shadow Serenity 57 for spotting my mistake.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

To Flee or Fight

The Sprout Tower was overrun by Gastlys. People and pokemon alike fled out in a chaotic rush, making it a challenge for anyone to approach the tower. As we got closer, though, I could see that the tower's monks and their Bellsprouts were already battling the Gastlys, but even I could see that it was a losing battle- the monks were too few, the Gastlys too many. It was all they could do to keep the crowd from getting attacked, and even then they were failing badly.

"Step aside, boy," the old lady told one of the few remaining monks that were trying to keep the Gastlys at bay. "You're seven decades to young to be dealing with this nonsense."

"I'm forty!"

She shot him a withering look. "What do I care? Move." Almost on cue, a ball of dark energy smashed into the wall behind the monk. A few more feet and he would have been toast. Needless to say, he bowed hastily and recalled his Bellsprout- already terribly tired from the battle- before retreating along with the remainders of those who were in the area.

"Why didn't we ask for his help?" I asked the dame, watching as the monk ran off to join his comrades, who, grouped together, were trying to fight the Gastlys attacking the town.

"It's dangerous enough in there without having to worry about other people as well," the old woman replied. "In a battle, you can't always see or co-ordinate your attacks that well. The fewer chances we have of attacking ourselves, the better."

Which left Warren, myself, and our unofficial leader against a whole lot of Gastlys.

Even if we were only on the lower floors of the tower, there was already an uncountable number of the ghost types hovering above us. They watched us in suspicion, and for some, undisguised glee.

"Wh-what do we do?" Warren asked me.

I shook my head dumbfoundedly, but before I could reply, I saw a dash of purple zoom towards me, white fangs dripping with saliva staring in my face. I did the only thing I could have done- I shrieked.

"Noctowl! Extrasensory!"

There was the sound of a pokemon being released and a loud, hooting cry. When I opened my eyes, I saw a gigantic brown bird standing in front of us, its huge wings spread out, completely blocking us from the Gastly's view. At first I thought it had scared away the ghost pokemon, but when I looked again, I realized that there was a faint, glowing aura surrounding the ghost types that hovered above us, holding them in place.

"Well done, Noctowl," the old lady said stiffly. She turned to Warren and I, covering in fear in the bird's shadow. "What are you two doing there?"

"I- I uh," I stammered.

"My pokemon fainted," Warren explained. "I... didn't get the chance to visit the Pokemon Center before all of this happened."

She frowned and shook her head. "Amateurs. Fine, leave this to me. Noctowl, Air Slash!"

My respect for the old lady grudgingly rose- the attack that the Noctowl unleashed sliced through the air around us, its area of influence so huge that it hit just about any Gastly within a ten-foot-radius from us in the tower. As many of the floating ghosts hit the floor before fading off into the shadows, the lady took out another pokeball and a pink and white pokemon with a nurse hat appeared before us. She- I think it was a she, there was no way that thing could have been a male and retain any sense of self-respect- clapped her hands joyfully, before promptly giving Warren and myself a tight hug.

"Blissey, focus," the old woman snapped. "Refresh, then Softboiled on his pokemon." She jabbed her pipe at Warren's direction.

"Blis-sey!" The Blissey saluted, turning towards Warren. She waved her hands a bit and a faint green glow surrounded Warren's pokeballs. It didn't take long for Jaws and Gnat to pop out of their balls, fully refreshed and ready to fight.

"Gnat, Jaws!" Warren exclaimed, hugging his pokemon tight. He looked up at the dame. "I don't even know your name- but thank you!"

"If you want to thank me," she replied, "then help me get rid of these Gastlys. And you- send out your pokemon. Surely you don't intend to sit there and cower the whole time, do you?"

"O-oh. Yes." I hastily pulled out the pokeball. It felt so unnatural in my hand, and while I had no idea where it came from, what was inside it, or what I could possibly do with it, at that point of time, it was fight or die. I tossed it onto the ground, tensing as the red cap opened and a white flash of light escaped the ball and took form in the space around it.

And then a black and yellow thing stood in front of me, whinnying. It must have seemed intimidating to the Gastlys because they lurched back in horror, almost huddling together for an emergency group discussion. It looked at me first in surprise, then with a guarded expression, as if it didn't know what to expect of me.

Frankly, I found myself in that same position too. Mostly because I had no idea what a black-yellow pony I had never seen before could do. Or whether it would even listen to me.

"What are you waiting for?" the old lady snapped. "They're all in one spot! Attack!"

I figured now was as good a time to bring up the main problem I had with that set of instructions. "I don't know how to battle."

"What?" The incredulous stare that she shot me made me want to shrink away and disappear into the ground.

"Well, see- I've never actually fought with a pokemon before and-"

"Are you telling me you don't even know how to use your own pokemon?"

"It's not mine- you just shoved it in my hand and-"

"What do you mean it's not yours, it has to be- argh!" A Gastly whizzed past us, barely nicking her arm, and suddenly the attacks were renewed. Chewing her lip in frustration, the old lady said, "Does that really matter? Do you really want to end up as Gastly bait? Noctowl, Air Slash again!"

"I don't- _really_- know anything about pokemon battles! I can't-"

"Girafarig, Confusion!" In the middle of the conversation, Warren had jumped in and given a command in my place. While I was relieved that he had come in just at that time, a small part of me felt kind of slighted that he didn't think I could handle the situation. Luckily, Warren had no idea of what I was thinking. He gave me a quick smile, then turned to his own pokemon. "Gnat, use Confusion too. Jaws- just Bite anything that comes near!"

The pokemon- Girafarig- gave Warren a worried glance, as if saying, "Are you sure about this?" But then a Gastly zoomed too close and gave the black-yellow-thing a faceful of saliva. It shrieked, cantering to hide behind me, before unleashing a blast of psychic power directed at the Gastlys. Gnat, bouncing up onto Warren's shoulder, did the exact same thing, catching the Gastlys as they were scattering from Noctowl's Air Slash. Now that I was closer, I could see that the psychic attack formed waves of energy that arced through the air, slamming into the Gastlys stunned by Noctowl's Air Slash. The combined Confusion/Air Slash attacks pretty much forced away every single Gastly on that first floor.

As we rushed up the tower, Jaws snapping at just about everything that threatened to lay a hand on us, I realized that Warren had commanded the Girafarig without so much as a hint of hesitation. He knew what he was doing, which was more than I could say of myself; a sinking feeling of guilt and resentment settling in the pit of my stomach. Luckily, before I could ponder it further, a voice sliced through my thoughts.

"It's Mauve."

"Huh?" I turned to look at the old lady, riding on the back of her Noctowl, who spoke as she dispatched one Gastly after another, her Blissey bouncing to keep up with us, healing our pokemon whenever they were hit. Warren paused on the top of the stairway for a while, Gnat on his shoulder and Jaws in his arms, leaning against a wall to catch his breath. We were on the third floor. Somewhere along the line, the Gastlys realized it was nearly impossible to keep up their attacks against us and the attacking force had thinned to let us through, though it meant that more of them were congregated elsewhere. There were no other wild pokemon around- Warren mentioned that they might be hiding. I thoroughly agreed.

"My name," the lady said. "Mauve Astrine."

"Budew," I replied. "It's nice to meet you. He's Warren." Warren tipped his trainer's hat with an awkward grin.

"I know," Mauve said with a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips in a way which made me sincerely hope she wasn't laughing at my name. "I heard his name during the gym challenge. This would be the first time I have ever met you though, and I can't quite say it's been a pleasure. Especially with these meddling ghosts around."

"We're almost at the top," Warren remarked. "How far do you think we've climbed, seventy- no, eighty feet?"

"The Sprout Tower is a hundred feet tall, so yes, that should be about right." Mauve descended from Noctowl, recalling Blissey into her ball. "Be careful. I have a hunch that whatever stirred up these Gastlys is upstairs."

"Why?" I asked.

"They always are." She shrugged. "Besides, it's the best place in the whole town to have an undisturbed view of the surrounding area. Whoever is co-ordinating the attacks is upstairs, believe me."

Mauve paused. "Tell me now, do you want to fight?" She was talking to me alone, her voice lowered so that Warren wouldn't hear that I was being given a chance out while he was not. I glanced around- Mauve's Noctowl was easily keeping the Gastlys at bay, releasing seperate blasts of Extrasensory and Air Slash lazily whenever they came too close for comfort. Warren, Gnat and Jaws sat at the stairs landing, saving up their energy for whatever lay ahead.

This was the chance I was waiting for- the chance to bail, to run back to town where I would hopefully be safe- but then I felt a nudge at my elbow. The Girafarig stared at me resentfully, as if it already knew my answer, and disapproved. A rush of images flitted through my mind, and I knew that it was the Girafarig, trying to communicate with me. I panicked a bit, but an insistent stare from the Girafarig quieted me before I could speak. The message was simple: _I never wanted to be here either._

The guilt I felt intensified. I knew it wasn't fair that I was dragged into this mess, and that it wasn't fair for me to fight when I had no idea how to. But it wasn't fair to the Girafarig, or to Warren, and to a smaller extent, Mauve. All it took was the image of him- breathless from the fighting, his pokemon clinging tightly to him like a pillar of support- and I knew my answer.

"Whatever Warren can do, I can do as well," I told Mauve. I lay a hand on the Girafarig's neck. "I don't really know how much help I'll be-"

She laughed. There was a twinkle in her eye that made her seem much more welcoming than she did before. "Whatever help you can give will be much welcome," she said, puffing on her pipe. "After all, there's only three of us here. Now, let's make a move on. It seems like the Gastlys are getting more and more agitated."

The Noctowl hooted in agreement. As they made their way towards Warren, I glanced at the Girafarig. It felt strange- just yesterday, I had never even seen a pokemon battle before, and now I was caught in a situation where I had to be a pokemon trainer- which made me even more confused. But that confusion would have to wait for now.

I sighed. "I guess we'll be battle partners for now, huh?" I asked the pokemon wryly. The Girafarig whinnied again, butting its head against my arm in response, as if urging me onwards. I chuckled. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I felt safe with the Girafarig- almost like how I felt when Delilah protected the Mareep from the wild Ratata and Bellsprouts.

However, that feeling of safety dissipitated when we went up the stairs. While there were numerous Gastlys on the previous floors, the amount of pokemon up here could only be described as a fog. Dense darkness blotted out the light of the sun, and an intense aura of anger filled the air around us, causing goosebumps to travel up my arm. I tried to shake away the feeling, but it was too strong.

"What's going on?" I asked Mauve.

"I don't know," the old lady said, her mouth set in a firm, straight line. "But whatever it is, I'll get to the bottom of it. Noctowl, Air Slash!"

I had to be amazed at the strength of Mauve and her Noctowl- whatever she was doing before, it was obvious that they were holding back until now. The attack was perfectly executed, with enough force to almost topple me off my feet. A crescent of wind formed from the quick slash of the Noctowl's wingtip arced through the air, gaining speed and power before slamming head-on into the dense, purple Gastly fog, scattering them immediately. I saw some of them vanish from view as they fell out of the sky, others melting into the shadows that lurked around the tower's beams.

But the fog itself was barely touched. However, because of the attack, their attention was directed towards us. A dozen of them began their attack, and I knew this was our cue.

"Jaws, Bite! Gnat, Confusion!"

"Girafarig, Confusion!"

"Noctowl, Extrasensory!"

As before, the Gastlys were blown away by our attack. Though the fog hadn't cleared, it began to still, and then it slowly receded towards the sides of the chamber, parting right down the center. Sunlight, finally flowing from the windows, struck my eyes, blinding them for a moment. The Gastlys had fled.

But it wasn't over yet.

After blinking away the white spots in my eyes, I realized that there was something else- someone else- lurking behind the curtain of Gastlys. A yellow humanoid stood there, hands behind its back, its whiskers twitching in distaste as it eyed us.

_"Humans," _its voice slammed into my mind painfully, _"You made it up the tower?"_

"Alakazam." Warren's face was that of utter shock. "But Alakazam don't occur in the wild-"

"Are you serious?" Mauve snapped angrily. "All this time, a pokemon was causing all of this havok? What's the meaning of this? Where's the trainer?"

"Oh man," I heard Warren murmur, soft enough that it was hard to hear. "This is just like all those times- the pokemon attacks-"

The Alakazam's eyes narrowed. _"Do you honestly think that worrying about my trainer is your foremost priority?" _it asked. And then all hell broke loose.

* * *

Next: The Alakazam attacks and Budew is devastated by the attack.

Hopefully this wasn't too clichéd .


	5. The Difference in Power

Thanks to those kind souls that reviewed- and spotted my mistakes- last chapter. You guys can all have a cookie... if I actually knew how to bake any. I'll try my best to avoid the mistakes that amateur writers usually do, so without further ado...

* * *

**Chapter 4**

The Difference in Power

"Duck!" Mauve pushed me aside from the first psychic blast, the purple wave slamming into a barrier that her Noctowl had formed. I landed on the ground painfully, but mostly unhurt. I tried to get up, only to feel the next attack slam into the wall behind me, missing my head by inches.

"Budew!" Warren rushed towards me, only to be stopped as a tangle of vines suddenly crept out of the tower's frame and tied themselves around his ankles. He tripped and landed on the ground with a painful smack, Gnat and Jaws sent flying out from his arms. I barely had time to register what was going on when another attack came right at me, missing only when the Girafarig grabbed the edge of my shirt and dragged me towards Mauve.

"Are you unhurt?" Mauve didn't bother looking at us- she was too concentrated on the fight with the Alakazam.

"Mostly. Warren-"

"I'm fine!" Warren called back, tugging at the vines around his feet. "Where's Gnat and Jaws?"

"Nat nat," Gnat cried, bouncing back towards Warren. Trapinch soon followed, and the two began to remove the remaining vines that refused to let go of Warren's foot.

They had barely finished when Mauve screeched, "Look out!"

The Alakazam's eyes started glowing an eerily bright blue, and then it gestured. Waves of force slammed into Noctowl's barrier, shattering it instantaneously, before knocking Mauve off her feet. I was vaguely aware of Girafarig stepping in between myself and the attack, a wall shimmering in the air in front of it. There was a bright, blue blast that shook the entire tower, and when the smoke cleared, I saw Mauve, leaning against Girafarig's side, favoring her left foot. Her Noctowl lay unconcious on the floor, having taken the full brunt of the Psychic attack. But then I realized that something was wrong- the Alakazam was nowhere to be found.

The tower was in disarray- it was impossible to tell whether the rampaging pokemon was still around or not- several of the tower's pillars (thankfully, none of the main ones) lay broken and battered on the floor. Debris and dust filled the air, and the wall behind us was broken in too many places to count. In the midst of it all, there was an eerie silence, like in the midst of a tornado's eye.

"We have to leave immediately," Mauve said, recalling her Noctowl. "The trainer- it's evident he's not here."

"What do you mean?" I asked, sliding one of her arms over my shoulder as Girafarig carried the other.

"That pokemon was trained- Alakazams don't usually get that powerful in the wild- they don't even occur that often in the wild! Whoever it was sent it to attack the tower while hiding out somewhere else. Close by, so that he can give commands, but far enough so that he or she would not be affected by the destruction."

I felt a chill creep down my spine. "You mean, someone _deliberately_ made this happen? Why?"

"Why indeed," Mauve said with a mirthless smile. "I suspect I might have some ideas, but- Warren! Can you stand?"

"Y-yeah." Warren, being helped back to his feet by Gnat, seemed no worse for the wear. Dust covered his shirt and pants, but despite the close call, he barely looked shaken. A smile was on his face, like always. "We're going to find the Alakazam's trainer, right?"

Mauve shook her head. "You two should head back. It's clear that whoever did this is way out of your league. Join up with Falkner and the other trainers, see if you can help them in any way-"

It happened in a moment- there was the sound of the shifting wind, an ominous aura pressing down upon us. Mauve reacted instantly, pushing both Girafarig and I aside from the attack as a spoon whistled through the air, striking her on the head. She let out a cry and collapsed into a heap on the floor. I briefly wondered how badly injured could one be when hit by a small spoon, but it was soon obvious that it wasn't just a mere hit- it was enforced with psychic power.

_"You thought I would let you go?" _the Alakazam snarled angrily. _"Die, human child!"_

"Why would you want to kill us? Can't we talk about this?" I asked, trying my best not to whimper. The Girafarig must have thought I was insane- it was giving me a rather incredulous, wide-eyed stare. The Alakazam, too, seemed hardly moved by my question.

_"Because my trainer has ordered it," _it answered without hesitation. _"Now, child, be silent and accept your destiny quietly."_

It raised its spoon, and when it became apparent that reasoning with it was useless, Girafarig quickly yanked me up, dragging me onto its back before the attack even hit. It couldn't run in the enclosed tower, but it didn't need to. Warren, somehow having crept up behind the Alakazam while it was distracted, had tackled it hard to the ground.

_"Get off me!" _it roared.

"Budew, run!" Warren hollered, struggling to keep the psychic pokemon pinned. He was soon sent flying by a blast of psychic energy, but that was all the opening that Gnat and Jaws needed. The two pokemon were clamped tightly on the Alakazam, Gnat clinging tightly to one of its arms, Jaws clamped firmly around its foot. For a moment, I wondered exactly what they could possibly do, until I caught sight of purple powder floating around in the air around the psychic pokemon. Despite what Mauve had said about the difference in strength, it was obvious to anyone that the Alakazam, already weakened by Noctowl's attacks, was actually being hurt by the two tiny pokemon.

Despite Warren's words and my own cowardice, I soon found myself by Mauve's side, checking her pulse. I breathed a sigh of relief when I felt movement under my fingertips. And then my small glimmer of hope was dashed when Jaws was sent flying into my arms.

The Girafarig whinnied, probably urging me to flee, and when I looked up, I saw why. The Alakazam had shaken Gnat free from its limbs, and now stood towering above the purple fluffball. While Gnat was still standing- unlike Jaws, who was breathing heavily- I knew that it was in trouble.

"Girafarig," I glanced up at the psychic pokemon. "Can you help?"

The Girafarig looked at the Alakazam uncertainly. It nodded, and charged towards the yellow fox, pausing at the last moment to buck up and slam its hooves down against its torso before it even had the oppurtunity to protect itself. The Alakazam was knocked off its feet, but caught itself in mid-air and landed daintily several feet away from Girafarig.

_"Why do you fight me?" _it asked, almost wearily. _"These humans don't even understand you!"_

The Girafarig merely neighed in reply, stomping its feet on the wooden planks. I had an odd feeling that it had said something about me, but the sensation quickly passed as Girafarig raised its hooves again, bringing them crashing down onto the psychic fox. Alakazam managed to block this one- but its knees were shaking, and I knew it couldn't last much longer in the battle.

"Why doesn't it escape?" I asked myself softly.

"Because its trainer doesn't want it to," Warren answered, somehow hearing my question over the cries of battle. His face was grim. "That and because it can still win this battle."

The Alakazam managed to throw Girafarig off, knocking the pokemon back and causing it to shake its head, disorientated. Before Girafarig could recover, though, it began charging for its next- and possibly the final- attack. I felt waves of energy ripple across my skin, causing goosebumps to appear. Pebbles and debris that were strewn about from the battle began to shake and rise, and the Alakazam's eyes started to glow a brilliant, bright blue.

"Psychic," Warren muttered, his eyes wide with fear.

That was as much as he could say, because Alakazam unleashed the attack in a wave of power that ripped the floorboards from their nails. I squeezed my eyes shut, pulling Jaws close to me as I huddled by Mauve's prone form, and I briefly wondered if this was the end. I knew that if it was anything like the previous attack, Girafarig would not be able to put up its protective barrier in time. We were so doomed and dead and- and- any other word for destroyed. Thoughts raced through my head- what would Dad say? Who would take care of the Mareep now? What would Mom think-

There was a brilliant flash of light... and then, nothing more.

Literally. The power that I expected to hit, didn't. It simply seemed to fizzle into non-existence. And then I realized why.

There was an odd clown-creature standing in front of the Alakazam, a shimmering barrier of light not unlike the one Noctowl and Girafarig had used standing in between the two. It was sizzling with smoke from the Alakazam's final attack, and apart from the loose floorboards, there was no other damage. Warren still sat crouched some distance away, his face a mirror of my own, with Girafarig and Gnat standing around with confusion written all across their faces. And Mauve...

Mauve had pushed herself off the floor, one hand- with a pokeball in it- extended. She grimaced. "Bad time to pass out, I suppose," she muttered. "Mr. Mime, Thunderbolt!"

There was a brilliant flash of lightning, and then the battle was finally over.

* * *

We didn't manage to find the trainer, in the end. The Alakazam fainted from the final attack and was soon confiscated by the police- his trainer didn't show up to claim it, which meant that it would be left in the Pokemon Center until its wounds were healed, though what happened after that was anybody's guess. Just as Mauve had predicted, with the Alakazam gone, most of the Gastlys soon stopped attacking, and retreated once more back into the Sprout Tower. But the damage was already done.

Violet City had sustained some damage from the attack, and while most of the civilians were evacuated safely thanks to the gym trainers and the Sprout tower monks, several people were badly injured- and a few actually dead- from the attack.

"It's just like Olivine," Warren murmured as we surveyed the carnage, watching as people were piled onto ambulances and trainers rush towards the pokemon center. "I only saw it on TV, but it looks so much worse in person."

"Not as bad as Olivine, I find it," Mauve said wearily, hobbling out of the tower with the aid of her Mr. Mime. She kept one hand against her forehead, where the Alakazam had hit her. "The destruction back then was terrible. At least this attack will leave no lasting scars."

But I wasn't concerned about Violet City- I had other things to worry about. The destruction around me only reminded me so much more that there was still somewhere I had to check. I recalled Girafarig without a second thought and tested my legs- they were sore from the day's events, but since I had no idea how to ride Girafarigs, they would have to do. I saw Warren looking at me. He gave me a small nod, and with a small smile in return, I set off in a sprint.

I heard Mauve cry out in surprise, but Warren was there. He knew why I had to leave. I quickly wove my way around damaged buildings and nearly-empty streets, and in less than half an hour, I had already cleared the Violet City exit. I could see the familiar slopes of the valley in front of me- but they were eerily silent, the setting sun casting a blood-red light upon them. There was no life, something which, in all my years living here, never occured. The wild pokemon, like in the tower, were hiding, and the trainers that usually loitered around had disappeared. And the shadows- dark purple shadows that reminded me of Gastlys- seemed to stain the valley like freshly spilt wine.

I pushed myself even harder, trying all the while to calm myself. Dad would be fine, I tried to convince myself. He had Delilah and the Mareep. But I remembered that, six weeks ago, the Gastlys had attacked us in a fashion similar to today's, and we had lost many of the Mareep in that accident. Dad himself escaped unscathed that time, but how about this time, when the Gastlys were far more numerous?

The ranch's familiar roof soon peeked over a cliff, and I felt as though I couldn't breathe- I had never tried running the whole distance from the Sprout Tower to home before, and frankly, I would never want to again. Usually at this time, one could see the smoke curling out of the chimney, but not today- today it was quiet, just like the rest of the valley, and it seemed almost ominous, with the windows darkened and the shadows growing deeper. There was no sound- just the wind blowing in from the west. No Mareeps, no Delilah, no Dad- nothing.

I struggled to get up the slope, and my legs hurt so much I was sure they were going to give way. But once I reached the top of the hill, I almost wished that I had stayed back in Violet.

The ranch was in shambles, and the smell of blood filled my nostrils. I felt the bile rising up in my throat at the sight. All around me, there were Mareep, dead, dying, or severely injured. A few tottered around, dazed, nudging their lifeless friends. Some saw me and came right up, bleating helplessly as they nudged against my hands, trying to make me _do _something- anything. I saw burn and scorch marks all over the place, and judging from the fact that the Gastlys couldn't shoot anything closely related to fire or lightning, they had to be the Mareep's doing. Or Delilah's.

The Houndour was nowhere to be seen, but I knew Delilah. She wouldn't have given up without a fight- or without Dad. I swallowed, and suddenly, I didn't care about anything else. I just wanted Dad to be _safe. _Pushing through the remaining Mareep, I called out for Delilah and Dad, only to be greeted with silence and the sounds of the Mareep.

And then, though it was soft, I heard a whimper. Not a bleating "maaa" like the Mareep would have made, but an actual whimper. I followed the sound, and as I rounded a corner, a black blur tackled me, and I felt wet slobber all over my face.

"Delilah?" The Houndour seemed to be alive and well, though her fur was matted with blood and she seemed to be favoring one paw. But there was no mistaking the fierce look in her eyes, nor the growl she gave me when she finally decided that she had used up her affection quota for the year. Done with the greetings, she leapt off me and barked loudly.

"Dew?" A hoarse voice called from somewhere in the shadows.

"Dad?" It took me some time to separate him from the growing shadows, but I could see him- he was leaning against the wall, not moving much. His mustached face broke into a relieved smile when he realized it was me. But when he didn't get up to greet me, I knew something was wrong. Dad would never sit down in the shadows like a discarded doll, not when there was work to be done.

"You're okay," he said, reaching out to hold my hand, a look of absolute peace on his face. "You're alive. I'm glad."

"Dad, what's wrong?" I knelt by his side- he seemed to have all his limbs attached, though there were several wounds that were bleeding badly through the poor excuse for bandages- he never was good at first aid. "You're hurt- and the Mareep- Wait, let me go get some bandages and antiseptic-"

"Budew." Dad's voice was one of those things that I wished I had, the power to make everyone stop and listen to whatever you say- he had once said it was a gift honed from a lifetime of herding Mareep. So when he used it on me, I dropped my hands, stopped my thoughts, and focused my attention only on him. "Budew, I need your complete attention for a second. After that, I want you to get help, do you understand?"

"Dad, what-"

"I can't move my legs, Budew."

* * *

Next: Mauve is presented with an intriguing mystery and Budew is forced to make her decision. Her father is none too pleased.

I know that my characters may well fall into the Mary-Sue category sooner or later, though I'm hoping that since I'm hopefully well-aware of what usually constitutes as a Mary-Sue, this will not happen.


	6. Thoughts of the Future

Urgh. I went back to read Chapter 1 and now I realize that there's an inconsistancy in the writing style, mostly due to my laziness and incapability to write like a ten year old. Which is strange, considering that everyone I know tells me that I already act like one. I've also finally decided to stick to the game storyline, since it's what I'm most familiar with, though I'm not quite sure how to write in certain things. Rain-dancing Slowpoke, anyone? Anyhoo, personal drabbling aside...

Early update this week, mostly because I could. Anyways, thanks for all the wonderful reviews, people. I'm glad that my story (so far) has managed to retain your attention, and your thoughts have been really helpful in sorting out the flaws this story has. Some of your ideas are really helpful in poking in a few plots later on too, so yeah!

* * *

Chapter 5

Thoughts of the Future

Dad had to spend several minutes shaking me out of my self-induced shock, and then he had to practically order Delilah to drag me to the phone so that I could call for help. It took about an hour for the first ambulance to arrive at the ranch's gate, during which I had tried my best to help those who were injured. When they arrived, I was told to sit inside the ambulance like a good little girl while they took my Dad to the hospital. Apparently, a pokemon doctor was also on his way, but I doubt that he would do much good- the Mareep that were dead were already dead, and those that were alive would probably stay that way- I made sure of that myself.

The rest of the night passed in a blur. I vaguely recall being shuffled into the waiting room of a hospital, in which I spent my time staring at the grimy floor tiles in between cat naps. There were plenty of people rushing about with their own things to do, and nobody really paid much heed to a little girl sitting out in the middle of the hallway. It was strange- I was surrounded by people on all sides, but I was entirely alone at that point, without anyone to talk to. The doctor who was in charge of Dad had told me to stay put, and that he would fetch me once Dad's condition was stablilized- I had only a vague understanding of what that meant, but I did as I was told and did not move an inch from the seat he left me in.

It gave me a lot of time to think. I could still see the Alakazam floating just in front of me if I closed my eyes, nightmares of attacking Gastlys and falling timber dancing in the background. I remembered the fear I felt when I thought I was going to die, and the awe I experienced when I saw pokemon battle up close and personal. I felt childishly angrily at the pokemon- if they didn't exist, Dad wouldn't be here, _I _wouldn't be here, and everything would be fine! But then I remembered how Warren looked with Gnat and Jaws at his side, the way Mauve and her Noctowl fought so fiercely to defeat the Alakazam, the way that the Girafarig watched me with something akin to understanding. Part of me wanted to just find some dark corner to sit and cry and pretend this day never happened, while the other, more major one was just so simply tired and confused that my thoughts started to loop themselves over and over again.

"There you are."

I expected to see the doctor standing in front of me, but instead I found Mauve watching me with her hawk-like gaze, her left arm carried around in a sling. Despite her injury and the shadows under her eyes, she still looked just as intimidating and self-assured as ever.

"Eh?" I squeaked. It was the only answer I could come up with at two in the morning.

Mauve sighed and rubbed her forehead with her good hand. There was a bruise where the Alakazam had hit her, but seeing as she was up and about, I doubt it was serious- either that or the old bat just didn't let it keep her down. "Warren said that the ranch was attacked; I suspected I would find you here. He's staying at the pokemon center now, and I intend to head there for a good night's rest when I'm finished here." She gestured towards the sling, before turning her gaze on me. She pursed her lips. "I take it things weren't as you expected at home, dear?"

"My dad couldn't move his legs when I found him, more than half the Mareep are dead, and I've been here for-" I glanced at the clock, "-five hours." I watched Mauve carefully. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

She smirked, pulling out her pipe (just where did she carry that thing, anyways?) and lighting it with a single hand, waving off my help. "Humor me, dear," she said, sliding into the seat next to me. "You said that the Girafarig is not your pokemon."

"It isn't."

She inclined her head. "I found it on your seat at the gym, after you left. I suppose it's plausible that some poor trainer dropped it there, and judging from your lack of experience in pokemon battles, I suppose that you are honest about this as well."

"Is there a point to this?" I asked cautiously. I wouldn't put it past her to accuse me of something, but I had no idea where this conversation was leading.

Mauve chuckled. "I'm an old lady, Budew dear. And I do ramble on, don't I?" She blew out a puff of smoke, completely ignoring the "No Smoking" sign that was hanging right above her head. "The point is this- what do you intend to do with the Girafarig?"

I glanced at the pokeball on my belt. "I guess I'll just leave it at the pokemon center. Someone's bound to claim it sooner or later, right?"

"But what if they don't?" Mauve turned to look at me, her green eyes glinting. "That pokeball was not there before you sat on that seat, but it appeared shortly after you left. I find it hard to believe that it was by mere chance that a Girafarig was simply abandoned in between the few seconds when I wasn't looking."

"Are you suggesting that someone left it there on purpose?" I stared at her incredulously.

"Maybe." She shrugged. "If I wanted to give a person a pokemon, I would do it up-front. If someone wanted to abandon their pokemon, they either release them in the wild or leave them in the Pokemon Center. Never in a pokeball. What I do know is that if someone left a pokeball there, they left it there without me spotting them, staging it to seem as though you were the only one who dropped it."

"Why would anyone do something as silly as that?"

"Why would anyone just entrust their pokemon to a complete stranger, and in such a way that either you or I could have completely missed the pokeball, leaving their own pokemon to starve to death in the confines of a gym? The trainer must either have an incredibly high opinion of both you and I, want to murder their pokemon or be completely off their rocker, and my conclusion to that is that I have nary a clue." Mauve shrugged again. There was a lull in the conversation, then she spoke. "May I try something?"

"Huh?"

"Give me the pokeball." She held out her hand authoratively, and reluctantly, I complied. She took out her pokegear and began fiddling around with the buttons, bringing up an interface that displayed the Girafarig's information in a few seconds. I vaguely remembered that this was how most of the pokemon trainers I had met over the years checked the status of their pokemon before setting out the next day, using the information provided to plan their battle strategies.

It looked exactly like I had expected it to, but something must have been off. "Interesting," Mauve said, studying the information for a while before switching off her pokegear with a click. She seemed deep in thought. "Would you be surprised to hear that there is no trainer listed as the owner?"

I frowned. "Is that even possible?"

"No." The old lady lowered her pipe. She handed the pokeball back to me, patting it lightly before leaving it in my hand. "You need a good lot of hacking skills to wipe off all information pertaining to pokemon ownership. Whoever did this made certain that we couldn't track him or her down. Though one thing must be said- it seems they're pretty intent in giving you a pokemon, dear."

At the thought, I was gripped by an odd sensation. Someone wanted to give me a pokemon? "Why?" I asked.

Mauve shot me an irritated look. "Why on earth would you think I would know the answer to that, dear?" she replied. "Nevertheless, the question still stands- what _are_ you going to do with that Girafarig?"

I was still pondering that question when she left, claiming that it was way too late for her to still be awake. I was left alone with my thoughts again, and this time, there were more questions that I found myself without an answer to.

* * *

When I was finally allowed to see Dad, it was already four in the morning. He was propped up against pillows, staring out at the window. If he heard me enter, he showed no acknowledgement of it.

The moonlight hit his features at an angle that seemed to sharpen them, obscuring half his face in shadow. He looked almost terrifying, until I remembered that this was my Dad, and despite what I was going to say, he had never hit me, never yelled at me, and never once forced me into doing something that I didn't want to do. Though doing this to him when it was obvious that he was already in pain made me feel as though I was the worst daughter in the world.

"I'm leaving, Dad."

He shifted his head to look at me. "Oh? I could have sworn you just arrived. Has the doctor told you?"

I swallowed and nodded. "Paralyzed from the waist down, right? I know. Which is why I-"

"I can't herd Mareep anymore." His voice was unusually quiet, though if I strained my ears I could hear a hint of his usual roughness. He chuckled. "What Mareep, huh Budew? More than half of them are dead- damned Gastlys. I'll probably have to sell the rest of them in order to pay the hospital bills. Though after that, who knows." He turned to look at me. "You know, I probably won't be able to take care of a daughter like this. It'll take me a while to get used to all of this, and they'll have to get me a wheelchair. And then we'll have to buy a new house since the ranch isn't wheel-chair compatible and the repairs and..." He sighed. "There simply isn't enough money."

He looked so broken, more so than when Mom... I shook my head clear of those thoughts and sucked in my breath. It was now or never. "I'm going to become a pokemon trainer, Dad."

"Are you now?" he looked less surprised than I thought he would be. Less angry too. "I won't stop you. You seem to have made up your mind. Do you have a pokemon picked out yet?"

"Y-yeah." I held out the Girafarig's pokeball. Though it technically didn't belong to me yet, I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Good," he sighed, settling back into his pillows. "You remember what I told you about bad trainers, right? Try not to be like them. Remember, Pokemon aren't tools, but they aren't simpering little pets either. Be careful out there- it's dangerous for a kid alone. All that stands between you and a wild animal is just another wild animal."

I nodded, fighting not to show the turmoil in my head. Dad was always one for resolution- I had to show him that I meant what I said not only through words, but through actions. And judging from his reaction, I had passed the test. This was about as much acknowledgement as I would get from him, so I turned to leave.

His voice stopped me. "Budew?"

"Yeah, Dad?" I looked at him, lying on the bed, with nobody by his side. This was the last time I would ever see him, I told myself, and the sight of it nearly killed me. A broken man, sitting in a hospital bed alone, unable to move, without even a single person to turn to- that was what my Dad, my proud, solid Dad was reduced to. It was all I could do to stop myself from rushing to his bedside and hug him, promise him that I wasn't going to leave, ever. But I knew that was impossible.

Dad did too. He gave me a small, tired smile.

"Take a Mareep before you leave, alright?"

* * *

The Pokemon Center was, from what I was taught in school, where trainers go when they had nowhere else to be. It functioned as a sort of rest house/support center, where everything from the pokemon storage system to a complete health check-up could be accessed. I had gone in there a few times myself when I was little, when Dad had to get a pokemon doctor to look at the Mareep when they were ill. Of course, I hadn't been to one recently, which was probably why I felt kind of out of place when I found myself in front of the building.

The giant pokeball sign hanging above the entrance would have shone brightly at night, but now that it was early in the morning, the neon light seemed less vibrant and almost sleepy, which was kind of how I felt. I wondered whether it would be open so early, but when I saw Chanseys bustling about inside, I figured, why not?

The room was mostly empty, and looked almost like the hospital, except somehow the atmosphere seemed quieter and friendlier. There were plenty of posters lined up on the walls, announcing the basic tenets of pokemon training ('Keep potions stocked at all times!' 'Make sure your pokemon are healthy before fighting!') along with a map of Johto, announcing where the League-certified gyms were located. I made my way to the front desk, where a nurse was typing on a computer.

"Um, I'd like to apply for a trainer's license?"

She barely glanced up at me, scarcely caring that it was four in the morning. "Sure thing. Name and birthdate?"

"Budew Eldridge," I responded. "That's Budew, like the pokemon. My birthday was last month, the 19th. I'm ten."

The nurse studied me for a second. Thankfully, without a word on my name, she got up from her seat. "Give me a moment. I'll have your license back to you within a few minutes. You may as well join the rest of the trainers in the common room."

She directed me towards a spacious, wide room. There were sofas, couches and tables lined up against the walls, with windows big enough that they covered half the entire wall. Trainers were either sleeping on the sofas provided or in sleeping bags against the wall. Some of them were awake and barely paid me any notice, checking their inventories or planning their strategies.

I found Warren sleeping against a wall in a corner of the room, Gnat bundled tightly in his arms like a pillow, Jaws' head poking out of his bagpack. The pokemon looked a lot healthier than they did when I last saw them at the Sprout tower, though Warren himself looked utterly exhausted. I felt kind of mean for waking him up from his sleep, but it was important, and besides, I thought childishly, he probably got more sleep than I did the night before.

I poked him, to no avail. Somehow, the boy managed to sleep his way through my constant nudging until Gnat woke up and started poking him as well. It was only when Gnat decided to chew on his hair that he staggered into the realm of awakeness, blinking blurrily for a while before responding.

"Budew?" He yawned. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm coming with you," I said as confidently as I could. "On your trainer's journey."

He blinked. "Oh?"

"W-well, trainers make money by fighting other trainers, right? We're kinda broke right now, s-so-"

"Oh." He yawned again. It seemed that sleepy Warren was a lot less quick on the uptake than normal Warren. "Well, if that's the case, we leave the first thing in the morning for Azalea." He yawned, waving me away.

"It's already morning, Warren," I began, only to find out that he was already fast asleep again.

"Nat nat nat, no nat venonat," Gnat said with a droop of its antennae, glancing at Warren in a manner I found to be slightly exasperated. It looked up at me, tilting its head. "Veno no no?"

"Yeah, you heard that right," I replied, fighting down the sudden urge to ruffle the little bug's furry head. "I'm gonna become a trainer and travel with you and Warren. So we'll be seeing each other for a while."

Gnat smiled- or at least, the best that a Venonat could actually smile. "Venonat veno nat!" it exclaimed.

"It's nice to meet you too," I answered. I glanced back at Warren, and my exhausted mind wanted nothing more than to join him in the sweet realm of slumber. But I still had one thing left to do.

* * *

Girafarig appeared in a flash of white light, its head bowed sleepily. However, upon realizing it was released from the pokeball, it jerked up awake, its head swishing from side to side before landing on my face. It whinnied, and even though I didn't understand pokemon, I figured that it must have the same question on its mind that I did on mine- it wanted to know what I was going to do.

"So, hi," I said weakly. "So- uh- I know I didn't catch you, and I know you probably don't want to do anything with me, but we can't find your trainer and- and- and-" I sighed, running a hand through my hair. The Girafarig watched me cautiously, scarcely moving. It looked tense, almost as if it was about to run away at the slightest hint of danger.

"Okay, lemme try that again," I took a deep breath in and forced myself to look the Girafarig in the eyes. Dad always said that the best way to show anyone you mean business is to look them in the eye. The eyes were windows of the soul- so when you looked someone in the eye, it meant that you were baring your soul for them to see. And honestly, I had never felt so vulnerable before- to anyone.

"Please, be my first pokemon."

The Girafarig scarcely moved. For a moment, it seemed overwhelmed by the thought, but slowly, it walked towards me and laid its head on my shoulder. There was a soothing warmth of safety that permeated my mind, a cozy feeling that reminded me of curling up next to a warm fire in the middle of winter.

I leaned against its head for a moment, running my hand through its fur. I didn't know what I was so afraid of. Memories of the Sprout tower were still fresh in my mind. In that battle, Girafarig had already decided, hadn't it? It had chosen to fight by my side.

"Thank you."

It whickered in response, its warm fur tickling my skin. I smiled.

"Together, you and I- we're gonna show the world what we can do."

* * *

Next: Budew learns about Pokemon capture, Warren gets his clothes ruined, and a Mareep is angry.

That last line had enough cheese to make a macaroni-cheeseburger-sandwich. No, actually, make that two macaroni-cheesburger-sandwiches.


	7. The Basics of Training

Nothing much happens in this chapter, but after the past few ones, I figured something more upbeat was needed. Don't worry, though. There'll be more fights and drama soon enough.

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The Basics of Training

Mauve had already left by the time Warren woke me up. It was already late in the morning when we left, the sun climbing steadily into the sky, its bright rays shining down upon us. I never found myself so thankful that the summer was already ending. The trail out of Violet was still quiet, but if I paid attention, I could hear the chirping calls of Pidgeys and the hoots of Hoot-hoots echoing high above us, with quick fleeting glimpses of Rattatas out of the corner of my eyes.

Azalea Town was in the south, Warren had said, which meant we would have to pass by the valley on our way towards the Union Cave. We would have to pass by the ranch, and remembering Dad's words, I asked if we could stop by there for a while, if only to pick out some supplies and to choose a Mareep.

Which was how we found ourselves surrounded by mountains of wool, constant bleating and incessant nudging. Delilah had been taken by the pokemon doctor the day before, and the ranch was under the supervision of a neighbour- who gladly let us pass by once he saw my face, but had no idea how to calm down about a dozen frantic Mareep. They recognized me, that was certain, and that alone sent the whole lot of them into a panic.

"Can't you calm them down?" Warren asked as he tried to push a Mareep that was trying to lick his face. "I love Mareep, really I do! But at this rate, I'd rather face a whole horde of angry Gastlys than this lot!"

"I don't know. I never really tried."

"But you herd them, don't you?"

"That was mainly Delilah," I admitted, pushing one fluffy head down after another. "Besides, they're probably just hungry."

"They're surrounded by grass!" Warren gestured towards the fields around us, nearly toppling over when a Mareep decided to jump on him.

"Uh, well, they haven't seen a familiar face in a while?"

"Nat nat," Gnat said, clinging tightly onto Warren's hat. "Nat venonat."

"The little guy says that we should probably pick one and get out of here as fast as we can," Warren translated. He winced as a Mareep with charged wool started rubbing itself on his leg. "I don't mind, really. It's just that I really want to get to the pokemon center at the end of this valley as soon as possible and-"

"Hey, uh, Warren?" I paused, glancing over at him with a guilty grin.

"Y-yeah, Budew?"

"I- er," I coughed, "I don't know how to catch pokemon."

He yelped suddenly as he was tackled from behind by a particularly happy Mareep. Gnat quickly bounced over to my shoulder, nearly avoiding being swarmed by the Mareep. Warren was less lucky- soon all that was visible of him was a frantic hand trying to push away piles of woolly bodies.

When Gnat and I finally managed to drag him out from whatever heinous tortures the Mareep were inflicting on him, his limbs were stiff and there were tiny little mud patterns all over his jacket. With a sigh, he yanked at his clothes. "This was a new jacket!" he moaned.

"So, er, can you teach me how to catch a pokemon?"

Warren stared at me. "You're serious?" I nodded, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I should have expected this. Well, lemme go get my spare pokeballs and we'll try to walk you through this."

"Thanks!"

"You don't have to sound so happy about it, you know..."

I giggled. I had never seen Warren being anything apart from being hyper-energetic, so the words sounded strange from him. Then again, we had only known each other for two days, so there was no reason for me to think that Warren was perpetually full of annoying happiness and life. Still, by the time he returned, his habitual smile was back on his face.

"Okay, so how much about pokemon capture do you know?" Warren asked me after we managed to pry the Mareep away from him. He had taken out five pokeballs from his bagpack and handed them to me, shown me how they worked, and promptly stepped far enough away for the Mareep to stop chasing him.

"Eh, well, none."

"Didn't they teach you this in school?"

"Probably. I probably failed whatever class it was in too."

Warren sighed. "I didn't think you were a slacker, that's for sure." He took in a deep breath, regaining his composure, his face brightening up almost immediately. "Well then! Capturing a pokemon is very simple. All you need to do is to weaken your target pokemon, then throw a ball at it."

"That's it?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yup!" he grinned. "Come on, it's easy. There's no way you can mess this up!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I muttered.

"Venonat!"

"Gnat's totally rooting for you too!"

Somehow, that made me feel even more nervous, but I decided not to tell them that. I checked out each of the Mareep, even though I had no idea what exactly was I looking for. Of the few that remained, none of them exactly caught my eye. And once the excitement had died down, they seemed more interested in grazing then in doing anything else. Honestly, if it weren't for Dad telling me to take one of them, I would have left them be. Mareep were amongst some of the most unmotivated pokemon I had ever seen in my life, in comparison to the Girafarig, and I had no idea how to even use them. Still, a promise was a promise.

"Maa!"

A Mareep- one of the smaller members of the flock that had hatched early last year- bounded up to me, its wool sizzling with charged electricity. I recognized it as the one that seemed to perpetually cause trouble for Delilah, running off from the rest of the flock when nobody else was looking, and never listening to any instructions whatsoever. Just the day before the Gastly attack, it had picked a fight with Delilah- though I wasn't sure whether that was out of bravery or foolishness. Frankly, I was surprised it was still alive after the Gastly attack.

"Psst, Budew! It's challenging you to a battle!"

"Huh?" I glanced at Warren. If I was going to pick a Mareep, I definitely wouldn't choose this one!

Still, before I could say that, the Mareep attacked, charging towards me and slamming its body into my torso. A surge of electricity coursed through my body. I found myself on the ground, my limbs stiff and unable to move.

"Maa!" the Mareep cried. It seemed to be taunting me.

"That's a new low," I muttered, realizing that I didn't even have enough muscle control at this point to push myself off the ground. I could move my arms, but they weren't exactly stable.

"Budew, send out Girafarig," Warren called from the sidelines. I shot him a glare- he was about ten feet away, far enough to not warrant being attacked by any rebellious pokemon.

As if it knew what I was thinking, the Mareep shot a bolt of lighting at him. "Maa!" it cried as fiercely as it could- which wasn't much, considering this was a Mareep we're talking about- sending Warren and Gnat scampering for cover behind some bushes.

"Thanks for the support, guys!" I called when I realized that I was now completely alone, staring face-to-face with a particularly ornery little sheep.

"You gotta catch your first pokemon by yourself!" Warren's voice echoed back. "Or else it doesn't count! We're still rooting for you though!" I glanced towards Warren and Gnat, almost perfectly camouflaged in between oran berries (Gnat looked like a giant purple one from a distance). He gave me a thumbs up.

I sighed. I wasn't going to get any help from him this time.

"Girafarig!" In a flash of light, the psychic pokemon stood in front of me, ready to battle. It arched its neck back once to glance questioningly at me.

"Don't worry about me," I said, waiting on the ground for the paralysis to wear off. "Just focus on the Mareep."

It's questioning glance didn't go away, but with a whinny it turned its attention to the errant sheep.

"Maa," the Mareep bleated, electricity sizzling in its wool. While I didn't doubt the fact that it was challenging me to a battle, I was quite confused as to why. Mareep were usually docile creatures, but this one seemed really, really angry. When it started bounding towards Girafarig, though, I figured that mystery could wait until after I caught it.

"Confusion!" I said. Girafarig let out a whinny, and purple psychic waves flowed from the tip of its horns, pushing the Mareep back. The force from the attack made it stagger, and it shook its head, trying to clear its mind. Girafarig glanced back at me once more, as if expecting me to do something-

"Oh, right!" I hastily pulled out a pokeball and got to my feet, shaking off the last traces of paralysis before hurling it at the Mareep. The little pokemon let out a rebellious cry just as a white light washed over it, sucking it into the small capsule. The pokeball landed in the grass and shook once- twice- three times, before it fell silent.

I stared in amazement. I had caught my first pokemon, and it was a whole lot easier than I expected, just like Warren had said. However, when I tried to pick it up, I ended up with another jolt of electricity dancing through my system.

I could have sworn Girafarig was snickering.

The rest of the journey that day was uneventful at most, though Warren was challenged by a few of the trainers we passed by. He won each one with a well-coordinated attack from either Jaws or Gnat, and I felt myself wondering if this really was the same guy that was running away from Rattatas when I first met him. Then again, we didn't really see a lot of wild pokemon that day. We reached the end of the route fairly easily, although Warren's pokemon were exhausted from the numerous battles they were in. There, in a corner almost completely covered by trees, the sight of a glowing neon-pokeball-signed building lay waiting for us.

The pokemon center was almost empty that night. Apart from us, there were maybe a couple of hikers and a bug-catcher, who was soon engaged in a particularly deep conversation about bug pokemon with Warren. This, of course, meant we had first dibs on the couches lying around- while they weren't as comfortable as an actual bed, they were a lot better than sleeping on the center's floor.

It was sometime after the other trainers had left for the night, leaving the two of us and the Center's staff as the only inhabitants of the isolated building, that we finally managed to get some time to wash up and eat. Warren had, along with his trainer supplies, guidebooks, charts, maps and pokemon, brought along some cup noodles, which were probably extremely unhealthy, but tasted way better than whatever the Center's kitchen was serving that night. Dinner was a quick affair, and then we turned our attention to my newest acquisition.

Throughout the entire trek, Mareep's ball had been charged with electricity; in the end, we had to wrap it up in some of my clothes to prevent us from getting shocked at every step. I figured it should have been tired from discharging all its power by dusk, but when I touched the release mechanism on the pokeball, I was zapped once again.

"Ow!" I sucked my thumb, hoping that it wouldn't end up with a burn. The pokeball sat tauntingly in front of us, as if daring me to touch it again.

"Lemme try," Warren suggested. He wrapped his hand with a spare cloth and gingerly picked up the pokeball. Sparks flew out from the ball in all directions, but somehow, Warren managed to activate the switch, releasing Mareep.

My first thought was: Maybe we shouldn't have done that.

Mareep was right in front of us, sparks flying out from its wool. It seemed all the time it spent in the pokeball had only made it madder, not calmed it down. There seemed to be a particularly evil gleam in its eye, like it was plotting some terrible fate for us...

I gulped. "Um, Warren-"

"Relax," he said with a smile. "All pokemon are cranky after being captured. You just need to show them that they can trust you, and then maybe they won't be angry at you." He pulled out a loaf of bread and placed it in my hands. "This should help you! Gnat liked it well enough when I first caught him."

"B-bread?"

He nodded, still smiling lazily, and shoved me towards my doom.

The Mareep must have some sort of grudge against me. That was the only explanation for why it decided to rush towards me, its wool sizzling with electricity. I barely got out of the way on its first charge, clutching the bread tightly in my hands. I couldn't even get near it; not that I wanted to or anything- that Mareep wanted me dead, I was sure of it!

"You're absolutely hopeless, aren't you?" Warren said with a sigh, getting up.

"You do something, then!" I retorted. "I'm not getting near that thing when it's gonna attack!"

He waved off my comment with a smile. Crouching next to the Mareep, he seemed unfazed that it was charged full of electricity, despite the fact that the Mareep was now glaring daggers at him, about to attack.

"Silly guy." He smiled affectionately and patted the Mareep on the head.

I felt my jaw drop. The Mareep was likewise shocked, pulling back from the contact of Warren's hand on its head. This confirmed it, he was suicidal- nobody would have done what he did and still survived! That Mareep was going to kill me, and Warren-

"Maa, maareeeep!"

-Warren was perfectly alright, petting the little Mareep on its head, to which it responded with happy little bleats. I was stunned.

"You just gotta show that you really mean them no harm," Warren explained again, watching my surprise. "Come on, that bread's got to be eaten somehow. The little guy probably hasn't had anything to eat yet, so..." He waved me over.

I gulped and approached the Mareep, holding the bread in front of me. It didn't seem like it was about to kill me now, but I wasn't about to take any chances. Its beady black eyes followed my every move closely, warily waiting for me to do something.

I held my offering out. "Bread?" I asked hopefully.

The Mareep's gaze shifted in between my face and the bread. I was afraid it was about to charge at me again, because there was that certain glint in its eye that showed that not all had been forgiven, and that alone was enough to make me cautious.

However, all my fears dispersed the moment it bleated and started chewing on the end of the loaf I held towards it. I was stunned- I had lived with Mareep all my life, but I had never fed them anything out of my own hand; Dad said it was bad for their diets for them to eat anything but grass, and they were more than capable to do that themselves. So the feeling of the Mareep's mouth just centimeters away from my skin was pretty terrifying- I had no idea whether it'd choose to use this oppurtunity to inflict a grievious wound on my hand- and pretty darn awesome at the same time.

"See, that wasn't hard," Warren said as he watched me return Mareep to its pokeball. He was lounging on one of the sofas, a satisfied grin on his face.

"Is it going to be like that for all my pokemon?" I asked. The weight of Mareep's pokeball was much lighter than that of Girafarig's, and maybe it was because it felt new, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe when I realized that I had caught my second pokemon.

"Maybe. Depends on whether they really don't like you or something." He shrugged.

I sighed. "You're really amazing, Warren," I said. I was terrified of my own pokemon, while he seemed utterly at ease with just about every living creature on the face of the earth. He didn't seem like a newbie trainer at all- the way he managed to handle Mareep and Girafarig was a testament to his skill. "How did you learn so much about pokemon? It can't be just from school."

He chuckled, his grin widening from my compliment. "Yeah, it wasn't. I was five when I caught Gnat by accident, and my family are all pokemon trainers. I've been around a lot of pokemon, so I kinda picked up some of the best tips for handling them. Especially tougher ones." He gestured at my pokeball. "Mareep there was easy to read- it just wanted something to eat, and didn't trust either of us." He scratched his nose.

"Mareep don't usually-"

His grin widened. "All pokemon are all different, Budew. You ever notice how one would spend more time slacking away than others, or how another would play obsessively with puzzles? Just because Mareep are generally docile doesn't mean that they don't have other facets to their personality."

"I guess so," I murmured doubtfully. Maybe I hadn't been around pokemon a lot, but something didn't seem to make sense. The Mareep had attacked me for close to no discernible reason, after all, and while I could have brushed that aside as Delilah not being there, it still felt like I was missing something.

Warren didn't seem to have sensed anything amiss with the situation, though, so maybe I was just thinking too much.

Still, when I went to sleep later that night, there was that feeling that maybe, just maybe, there was something else. Something about Mareep that bugged at my subconcious, making me wonder how much I actually knew about the little pokemon. After all, it was angry at me even before I captured it.

* * *

Next: An explanation of world affairs and an attack in the Union Cave.


	8. The Changing World

This Chapter can be called the 'info-dump' chapter, if you will. Regardless, there's a lot of talking, which can be a bit boring at times, due to the nature of the 'info-dump'. I tried to make it as understandable as I could, since most of the information here will probably be used as a background for the rest of the plot. Also Warren finally asks the question that's on everybody's minds.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The Changing World

After the Pokemon Center, we took the route down towards the mountain that lay in between Violet and Azalea. It was the first time I had actually camped out in the wild (Dad was usually too overprotective for me to even go out at night without Delilah for backup) but Warren and Gnat, were, of course, veterans of camping by now. They had the entire camp set up while I was struggling to unroll my own sleeping bag, and I watched with stunned amazement as Warren managed to fish out dinner in less than an hour, while Gnat happily gathered all the berries they could find- 'for seasoning', Warren had said. Jaws was just sitting near the campfire, seemingly content with watching his trainer and teammate rush around.

"I can't believe how fast they are," I said, a bit dizzy from amazement. Girafarig only snorted, deciding to chew on grass instead of paying attention to me. Mareep lazily blinked one eye open, bleated, and went back to sleep.

It was already the end of the day, and we had already reached the end of the trail. "Union Cave is just right up that ridge," Warren said, pointing towards a small dark hole in the otherwise impenetrable mountain jutting out between Violet and Azalea. "It's the only way we can pass through safely, though I've heard that the more adventurous trainers occasionally just climb over the entire thing by themselves."

"Is that really safe? I mean, leaving the path...?"

"Not really," Warren shrugged. "They say many trainers died trying to cross that mountain before the pass through Union Cave was established, which is pretty much why nobody tries anymore." He flashed me a grin. "And since the Union Cave was constructed, practically nobody goes up there to check for dead bodies. But hey, maybe we'll see a ghost tomorrow when we go through! They say that the inside of the cave is as dark as night! Wouldn't it be cool to see a real-life ghost, Budew?"

"I'd rather not," I said, trying to avoid thinking of ghost pokemon. "And stop calling me that."

"Why?" Warren asked, turning the roasting fish over the fire. "I mean, it's your name, isn't it?"

"How'd you like to be named after a pokemon?" I retorted, folding my arms crossly. Mom had came up with that name, with reasons so silly that she must have either been a) drunk, or b) utterly insane at that point of time. I never did manage to get her to change my name (she was too flamboyant to even consider it, as well as too irresponsible and careless), and I had been cursed to be named after a pokemon ever since. It always came to bite me whenever roll call occured every school year- I had to endure snickers and little pointed insults (and some not so pointed or little ones) whenever the teacher called out my name. If there was one good thing about going on a Pokemon journey, I figured, it was that I wouldn't have to put up with yet another round of "Hey, who's that Pokemon" calls this year round. Still, that name gave me nothing but grief.

Unfortunately, Warren didn't exactly catch on to that.

"Okay, granted, it's probably not very intimidating to be named after a first-stage evolution of a masked rose, but think about it! It'd be kinda cool, with the right name. For example!" And here he puffed out his chest, "'Dratini Brightly'!"

I threw a pokeball at him, which went sailing just over his head. "Your ego is showing, Mr Dratini," I said. "Get back inside your pokeball."

"Well, aren't you violent?" Warren muttered. Still, that didn't even faze him. "Yeah, I guess you have a point. Still, imagine being called 'Arceus Eldridge'!"

"Now that's just sacrilege," I replied.

Warren snickered for a moment, then turned his gaze skywards. "It'd be cool to meet a legendary pokemon face to face, though." There was a dreamy quality to his gaze, almost as if he was looking at something else entirely. "You know, when I was a kid, there was this old man that kept talking about the legendary pokemon. They must have been amazing- I've heard some of them even created the continents and oceans, and some others created emotions and stuff like that!"

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I nodded anyways- Warren seemed really excited about this, and I felt wrong to discourage him.

"So are you gonna challenge the gym?"

"Who, me?" I blinked, caught off-guard by the sudden question.

Warren nodded. "Azalea has a Bug pokemon gym. They say that if you defeat a gym leader, the prize money isn't something you can shake a stick at." He glanced at me. "Though, maybe it's best that you avoid this one. I mean, you're not exactly well-prepared for a bug-pokemon gym, you know."

I had scarcely a clue about what he was saying, but there was one thing I did know. "You're not going to fight?" I asked.

He fell silent for a while. "Dunno," he said sheepishly after a while. "I mean, I did lose the first three gym battles I ever fought-"

"Two-"

"There was a gym back in my hometown, you know," Warren said. He smiled, though it looked forced. "It was the first gym I ever challenged. I lost before I could even see what was happening." He reached out towards Gnat, snuggling against his shirt again, and stroked the little bug's furry head. "Honestly, I really don't know whether I should try the Bug gym on. If I lost, I don't think I could ever call myself a trainer ever again."

"But didn't you say you wanted to be a bug-type trainer? It'd be the best way to test out your skills."

"And the more embarrassment if I lose," Warren said. "Besides, I don't want to put Gnat and Jaws through more pain if we don't even stand a chance at winning."

"You can't say that," I insisted. "I mean, you might win. You've won against just about everyone else."

Warren shook his head gently. "I'll be rooting for you if you want to fight, but I just don't know yet." He tugged the nicely-roasted fish from the spit and held it out to me. "Besides, there's something else I want to check up on in Azalea."

"Something else?" I echoed, testing the fish. It wasn't particularly good, and tasted quite bland despite the amount of berries Warren had added (just where did he find so many anyways?), but it was still food, and after a day's worth of trekking, I was too hungry to care.

"Yeah. Azalea Town is supposedly one of the places where legendary pokemon keep appearing." Warren's eyes shone with determination, and he balled his hand tightly into a fist. "I'm going to go there, and when I do, I'm going to find Celebi- the Time Travelling pokemon," he explained, seeing my confusion. "If anyone in Johto knows what's going on, or what's going to happen, it's Celebi! And when I do, we'll be able to stop the attacks from going on!"

I decided now was the best time to ask Warren what had been bugging me for a while, so I waited until after he had eaten as much as he could (and given Gnat the leftovers). "Are you talking about what happened in Sprout Tower?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

"But I thought you were just gonna stop the pokemon from acting up."

Warren paused, watching me carefully. "Just how much do you know about the reasons why the Pokemon League is closing down?" he finally asked.

"Not much." I shrugged. "Just what I've heard on TV, mostly. I never really thought that it was that important. I mean, isn't it because people have been dying from pokemon attacks over the past few years? But that has nothing to do with the attack in Sprout Tower, right? After all, from what you guys were saying, wasn't there a trainer involved?"

Warren nodded. "Mauve said she couldn't find him that day, but it sure seems like it. But those attacks, they're just the tip of the iceburg. Do you know the Pokemon League has been thinking of closing down for more than five years?"

"Really?" My mind drifted back to all those trainers that I had met in the valley. Did they know that even then, their future was being questioned?

"Mmhm. The League usually keeps quiet about these things, but it all started about oh, say... twenty-three years ago. Pokemon all of a sudden started acting up, rampaging, sometimes in hordes, to attack human towns, travellers, and even trainers. It wasn't that big a deal- usually, nobody even got hurt thanks to the Gym Leaders and passing trainers- and then we had to worry about Team Rocket and all that stuff, so it wasn't really that important. But then three years ago, there was that attack on Mahogany. Five pokemon trainers were badly injured, one missing, two dead. Civilians died. The League managed to smooth the whole thing over, but by then, people started realizing that something was wrong with the pokemon. They had started refusing to work with trainers, leading to a whole lot of abuse and attack cases, and some flat out just killed any human that wandered within their sight."

"I heard about that." A chill went down my spine. After all, I had more than just 'heard' about that particular event. I glanced at Gnat, sitting quietly in Warren's lap, and then at Girafarig, nibbling on a branch of a nearby tree. I had a hard time imagining the two of them going on a rampage against us, but what was stopping them from killing us should they feel like it? They were perfectly capable of it- pokemon had powers that most humans could only dream about- that Alakazam had proven that much.

"And then the attacks started happening," Warren's expression was sadder now, and he poked a stick restlessly at the campfire. "Except this time it wasn't the pokemon; it was a trainer. You heard about Olivine, right? It was the worst. All of a sudden, pokemon just attacked trainers without so much as a single provocation. The official League report ruled it as a single trainer, most likely with a psychic pokemon, being behind the attack and brainwashed a whole lot of pokemon- they never found her or him, or whatever pokemon they used. But that was just the beginning."

I nodded. "You think that the trainer's related to the pokemon becoming more aggresive?"

"Who's to say?" Warren shrugged. "All I do know is that it's possible that this trainer might have triggered more attacks than we have him accountable for. Maybe he was the one that provoked the wild pokemon in the first place. And his goal- whatever it is- has to be linked to the pokemon attacks somehow; they're executed almost in the same manner. Apart for, you know, the mind-control stuff." He glanced at Gnat, who nodded in return, and licked his lips. "I think it's all related. So maybe if we can find out what's troubling the pokemon, we can also find out who this guy is and stop him."

"That really doesn't make any sense," I muttered, tossing an empty stick into a fire.

"Well, Celebi is the pokemon of time." Warren tried to explain, though I still didn't quite get it. "If you can see the past, future, and present, doesn't that make you all-knowing?" He kept staring at me, as if expecting me to have some sort of epiphany, but finally gave a sigh. "Forget I said anything and let's just turn in early. The sooner we get to Azalea, the sooner we can get this all wrapped up!"

I chewed on my lip. "Just how do you know so much about this anyways?"

Warren paused. "Family connections," he said finally. "I told you. Dad was studying about this, and I picked a few things up. Still, most of this information isn't really that well known, but if we're travelling together, I think you ought to know, just in case."

I shivered, even though the weather was still warm. "Thanks," I muttered, even as I felt that maybe it was better that I had never asked.

We went to sleep early that night, setting out for the Union Cave when the first rays of sunlight began shining over the treetops. I had been worried when Warren mentioned that it was dark in the Union Cave, and was relieved to find out that the trail was lit up by sparsely placed lamps. Still, even with that fact, it was easy to trip over a loose stone or lose sight of anything that you dropped. And it was easy to run into wild pokemon- we had barely made it five steps into the cave when a loose-looking rock rolled out of the wall, sprouted arms, and glared at us.

I had barely even gotten a pokeball in my hand when Warren sent out Gnat and knocked the Geodude out with a single Confusion. This continued whenever we bumped into a wild pokemon, be it a Machop, Geodude, or Sandshrew. Warren was always way ahead of me, him and Gnat knocking out pokemon left, right, and center. It took me a while to understand why he wouldn't let me fight on my own, but then I realized that it must have been out of some sort of misplaced chivalry of some sort, and he was trying to protect me.

I felt grateful, kind of, but at the same time, I felt a bit cheesed off. Which was why when we came across a fork in the trail, I asked, "Why won't you let me fight?"

Warren looked up from where he was crouched, attempting to study a nigh illegible sign. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean, the way you seem to be stopping me from fighting by taking on everything in this cave yourself." I scowled. "Do you think I can't fight?"

Warren blinked and stood, dusting his pants. "It's not that I think you're incapable of fighting, but you're not exactly good at it either," he spoke plainly.

I bit back my tongue. It was true, after all. The battle at the Sprout tower was mostly Warren, Mauve, and the Girafarig, but mostly Mauve. I played close to no part in it at all. And just a few days ago, I had shown my awesome pokemon-training skills with the Mareep. It made sense that Warren wouldn't want me to battle. "Still," I spoke up, "if I don't fight, I won't learn, right?"

Warren's look was confused. "You don't even know the basics of pokemon battle, Budew. You don't know what your pokemon are capable of, type match-ups, anything. All you know is that Girafarig knows Confusion." I blushed- I was hoping he hadn't picked that up. "Besides, you won't gain any money from fighting wild pokemon. And I thought you didn't like to fight unneccessary battles?"

"Th-that's true, but-" I paused.

"Look, I'll be happy to teach you about pokemon later, but you were about to send Mareep out against a Geodude," he said. I had no idea he was actually paying attention. "You don't even know which pokeball is which, do you? Mareep's is the one you carry further down your belt. Oh, and by the way, Mareep do not match up well against Geodude. Their attacks will have absolutely no effect." He grinned. "Just leave it to me. I'll get us out of here in no time."

I supposed that I should have stood up for myself then, told him no, I was a pokemon trainer and that I was going to fight a battle now and he would very well come and teach me everything I needed to know about pokemon, but he seemed so knowledgeable and logical at the time, and he was literally offering to do all the fighting against wild pokemon that we encountered. I wasn't sure whether I could fight another pokemon in good conscience, and I hesitated at the thought of battle. Plus, Warren had always seemed so dependable. Hyper, but dependable. So I let out a relieved smile, glad that he was willing to shoulder the burden.

He was so distracted by our conversation that he didn't see a shadow loomed behind him, glowing blue eyes shining out of the darkness. I barely saw it when it appeared, and had only managed a squeak when something slammed into us, hurtling us all to the ground. The force of the attack must have shook the foundations of the cave, because suddenly rocks began to collapse all around us, blocking out the light from the lamps. I had been at the edge of the blast, but the path beneath my feet was cracking and crumbling, though I thanked Arceus that the ceiling hadn't started raining rocks upon me.

"Warren!" I hollered, spotting a limp pile of green sitting in the midst of the rockslide. He must have been knocked out by the attack- or at least, I hoped he was only knocked out. I saw rocks tumbling around him, too far away for me to reach, and did the only thing I could do. I threw Girafarig's (the first one, not the second one) pokeball at his direction. The psychic horse-thing appeared, confusion and panic written all over its face when it saw the scene, its gaze trying to seek me out. But of course, there were more obvious things for it to worry about.

Girafarig gave a neigh, and the rocks that were about to hit Warren started glowing a faint purple, before being crushed down into smaller pieces and dispersed by the psychic pokemon's power. It didn't hesitate to pull the unconscious boy up onto its back, blasting away any rock or pebble that came near. But its gaze was obstructed by the debris, and it let out a desperate neigh, calling for me.

"Over here!" I yelled, waving Girafarig over to where the blast had failed to reach. It galloped over the crumbling path, using its psychic power to gain footholds when there were none. In no time at all, it was by my side, watching as I checked up on Warren.

Both his pokeballs and his pack were still safely secured to him, but that was the least of my worries. His pulse was steady, but there was already a big bruise on his head where something- probably a rock- had hit him. I bit back a curse- there was no way to tell whether he had been injured internally or not, and he could have sustained brain damage from the force of the blow. But what was certain was that he needed medical treatment as soon as possible.

There was a slight problem with that, as I soon found out- the path we were standing on, the only way back towards the pokemon center and Violet City, had been destroyed, and any hope of getting through the crumbling path was destroyed in the form of the entrance being blocked off by a giant boulder.

I felt the pit of my stomach drop. We were trapped, with only one way out- through the darkness of the Union Cave, with whatever pokemon that dwelled there waiting for us.

* * *

Woohoo, done with Chapter 7! Again, thanks for all the support and your continued reading, and I would really appreciate concrit if you have any. As the Chapter count grows, there's no doubt I might forget some little detail here and there, so if you spot a missing plot hole, please tell me, and have cookies while you're at it! There might be some changes in the updating schedule as the year continues, but I don't intend to stop writing this story until it shines a big fat "Complete" on my profile page.

Next: Budew fights for her life in the darkness of the Union Cave, and gains something else in the process.


	9. Light at the End of the Tunnel

This chapter... went way over my 3500 word limit I usually impose on my chapters. But after I deleted enough paragraphs to fit as close as I could to my limit, I said 'meh' and pushed my word limit to 4500 per chapter. So, from here on out, chances are that the Walls of Text will start appearing.

In keeping with the strategic nature of pokemon battles, I have decided to use some of the strategies used in warfare and apply them to pokemon, though what with pokemon being pokemon, I'm not quite sure whether that was a smart move on my part. Sun Tzu makes my head hurt though, so I might have to resort to plain ol' beating crap up at some point in time.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Light at the End of the Tunnel

I wouldn't say I was claustrophobic. I've never felt fear from being accidentally locked up in a locker, nor worried when being trapped in a small room for hours when someone took the only key to the room and thrown it far, far away. But when I was walking down that barely lit, rocky trail, with the sound of dripping water and heavy air pressing down all around me, it was hard not to feel even a slightest tinge of fear. I kept thinking that a wild pokemon would pop out at the next step, or another blast would rock the world under my feet.

Granted, those thoughts weren't making it any easier to progress through the cave. If it weren't for the sound of Girafarig's soft voice and Warren's constant- if quiet- breathing, I think my legs would have given way and I would be curled up in some dark corner in the cave floor, waiting for someone to rescue me a long time ago.

It was easy to lose sense of time in the dark, damp silence. I had no idea how long we had walked, and my pokegear, being one of those old, spastic models, refused to work in our current situation. Even the number of wild pokemon that willingly attacked us had dwindled- probably Girafarig's doing, I figured, considering how the psychic type would pause every now and then, as if trying to sense any pokemon that would come across our path. However, what I did know was that we were at a fair enough distance away from our starting point when the lightbulbs that had lit the path suddenly gave way and flickered into darkness.

I screamed.

I had the feeling that Girafarig rolled its eyes, and it wasn't until it started chewing on my hair that I realized that I must have thrown my arms around its neck, clinging tightly into the warm fur of another living being in my desperation to not be utterly and completely swallowed up by the darkness. It was a miracle in itself that Warren didn't wake up, or that wild pokemon didn't descend upon us and tear us limb from limb. Then again, that was probably just me over-reacting. I was pretty sure that Girafarig agreed with me on that point.

A single thought flickered its way through my mind, forced through by Girafarig, who had caught on to my distress: _Mareep._

"What? What good will getting Mareep out do?" There was a pause, and Girafarig nudged the side of my face before the message finally got through. "Alright! Alright! I'll let it out, gimme a sec- stop nudging me!"

Girafarig snickered, almost delightfully like Delilah's. Great, I thought. I have a pokemon that constantly patronizes me and laughs at my lack of overall problem-solving capability, as if Delilah wasn't bad enough. Though, to be fair, Girafarig _did _usually come up with good ideas for getting out of trouble. And it did seem to know more about being a trainer than what I myself did.

"Mareep!" A flash of light illuminated the cave for a split-second, just in time for me to catch sight of the path in front of me before darkness overwhelmed us again. If it weren't for the sudden sensation of a warm, woolly body at my feet, I would have had no idea where the little sheep was.

"Maa!" Mareep bleated into the darkness. In contrast to my own unimaginable terror at being plunged into absolute darkness, the little pokemon sounded ridiculously calm. In fact, the noise that followed its bleat sounded almost like a yawn. Then, without a command, there was a pulse of yellow in the otherwise murky darkness, and suddenly I could see again.

I blinked once or twice, then stared at the woolly fluffball at my feet. "Maa," it bleated sleepily, blinking. Its tail was glowing faintly in the darkness.

"I had no idea you could do that."

"Maa." Mareep decided it was the best time to ignore me, preferring to walk right up to Girafarig instead. It seemed it still hadn't gotten over its disdain/dislike of me.

"Farig."

Girafarig had, as usual, walked on ahead, giving us a patient look while Mareep and I tried to get our bearings. Much like last time, it led and I followed, with Mareep trotting pretty happily at Girafarig's side; the three of us making a silly looking tableau in which the trainer trailed after her pokemon. The oppressive silence lightened somewhat, but I couldn't help but feel as though something was about to attack us at any given moment. Just like it already had.

"Girafarig."

The psychic pokemon's ears flicked, the only sign of acknowledgement I got, considering that it was concentrating on the path in front of it.

"Do you sense any other psychic pokemon around here? Any trainers?"

Girafarig paused, its ears flicking from side to side. Finally, it shook its head. It whinnied a question.

"It's nothing," I muttered. "Just something that's been bugging me."

It tilted its head slightly in my direction, its brown eyes watching me. It seemed to know that there was more to the question than I let on, but then again, it was a psychic type. It probably could read my whole mind for the fun of it within two seconds, flat. In fact, judging from that intense stare it was giving me, it was probably doing that now.

Girafarig snorted, almost like a laugh.

"Read my mind again and you can miss dinner."

It merely smiled, trotting on. I sighed- it seemed that those epic psychic powers made it capable of seeing through my bluff, easily.

Still, the thought that something was out there that intentionally caused the rockslide made me shiver. I knew I wasn't imagining things- I had definitely seen a psychic pokemon there. Was it the Alakazam? But it couldn't be; it was still in Violet, wasn't it? Was it a ghost?

I froze.

"No ghosts, no ghosts, no ghosts," I muttered, trying to find something else to think about. I wrapped my arms tightly around myself, trying to keep the image of a haunting white figure trailing behind us with blood-stained teeth and claw-like hands reaching for my soul- "Stop thinking about it, Budew," I sang aloud, trying my best to keep the thoughts away.

Girafarig and Mareep glanced at me. They probably thought I was crazy. No, Girafarig probably already knew I was crazy. I sighed in defeat as, right on cue, Girafarig whickered. There was no way getting around those psychic powers, was there?

I turned my attention towards Warren. He still hadn't woken up, and I was starting to worry. Maybe he had a concussion? Was there internal bleeding? Or what about brain damage? How long had we been in the Union Cave, anyways? Warren had mentioned it would take less than a day to pass through the entire cave, but my legs were starting to ache and I was starting to feel the first pangs of hunger. Maybe we were lost? But no, ever since that fork in the path when we were blasted away by... something, the path had been continuously straight, save for the slight twists and turns that we navigated around carefully.

"Maa," Mareep said, nudging my leg. It had a look of absolute misery plastered on its face, with dirt and mud sticking to its once pristine coat of wool. More importantly, it was glaring at me again.

"I know," I muttered. "I hate this cave too. Bread?" I offered it a small chunk of bread which had been residing in my pack, bought specifically for this purpose.

"Maa!" In no time flat, the bread had disappeared from my hand and down the Mareep's throat. It bleated again, whatever discomforts and resentments completely forgotten, its tiny ears twitching with delight.

I sighed. While it was incredibly important to get Warren out of the cave, there was no point pushing my pokemon beyond their limits, and I had no idea how much longer this journey was going to take. "Let's stop for a break," I announced. Mareep bleated happily, curling up near a rock before falling into a slumber; Girafarig eyed me questioningly for a while before it nodded and settled down by my side, being absolutely careful not to disturb Warren. We had stopped in a place where the trail continued around a single pillar of stone; the other side of it was a deep, bottomless-looking chasm that seemed to swallow up all light. Still, it was probably as safe a spot as any.

"Bread?"

Girafarig shook its head delicately before turning its gaze towards the ceiling of the cave. I briefly wondered what it was thinking, and then I wondered what was it that psychic pokemon thought about. Pokemon were hard enough to understand, toss in a human-like sentience and psychic powers and they became an enigma. Still, at least Girafarig wasn't going on a rampage trying to uproot an entire tower to kill a couple of kids and an old lady.

It whinnied and butted its head against me, almost offended.

"Hey, it's your fault for reading my mind in the first place."

It snorted.

"You really don't get mad about anything, do you?" I shook my head in incredulity.

Girafarig blinked and stared at me, as if it was thinking about how to respond to my comment, but soon decided it wasn't worth it and returned to gazing at the dark ceiling.

I wondered what was it up there that had caught Girafarig's attention. The light from Mareep's tail didn't extend more than a few feet, so we barely had enough light to see in front of us, much less at the very top of the cave. Still, in the silence, I could make out chittering and the flap of wings. Wild pokemon, I thought, pulling myself close to Girafarig. They probably knew we were here, what with Mareep's tail glowing and all, but they had done nothing to us... so far.

"Let's go," I said after fifteen minutes- or at least, what felt like fifteen minutes. My legs still ached, but not as badly, and I didn't dare dawdle any longer. Warren's breathing was still calm and constant, but he still didn't respond when I tried to wake him up. I was worried whether he had been put into a coma or something, and staying around the cave longer than I should didn't weigh too well on my conscience.

It took us several more minutes- or perhaps hours, before we felt the first hint of a wind. It was faint, but it was there, and Girafarig and I exchanged a grin of victory- we were almost out.

However, we had barely gotten more than a few steps ahead when a sudden, fierce roar echoed through the cave. Almost by instinct, I stepped between Girafarig and the direction of the sound, fully intent to ensure that Warren would be safe no matter what. I hoped that whatever made that roar would just go on ahead and not bump into us, that we would be able to continue on our way without too much trouble.

But then a giant trail of rocks suddenly exploded out from the wall of the cave, butting its way into our path. It roared again, a terrible cry that startled the many Zubats that lurked near the ceiling of the cave, causing them to scatter and flee, their chittering voices suddenly rising up all around us. I pressed Girafarig and Warren against the cave wall, doing my best to shield them from the sudden onslaught of frightened pokemon. Mareep, likewise startled, bounded up right next to me, its woolly body crackling with static as it snuggled close to me, zapping anything that came too close.

"Onix," I breathed, remembering the drawings of the pokemon in our school textbooks. The giant rock snake looked so much more intimidating in life, its fierce, black eyes darting from one Zubat to another. Searching for prey, I figured. I just hoped that it wouldn't think of us as prey.

"Mareep, your light!" I hissed. We were practically sitting ducks at this point. All the Onix needed to do was to glance in our direction-

Too late. The Onix's gaze had already landed on us. Perhaps it was tired of chasing Zubats which evaded its gaping maw all too easily, or maybe it just thought of us as easy prey. Either ways, it roared and started slithering towards us, its rocky head leading the way.

"Girafarig!" I didn't want to force Girafarig to fight, but I did know we had no choice; the Onix was approaching at a speed far faster than we could run. At my command, Girafarig neighed, a semi-invisible barrier of blue light springing from out of nowhere between us and the charging Onix. There was a sickening bang, and when I looked, I saw the Onix's face barely a few inches away from my own. It roared, the sound of its voice deafening my ears, and then it raised its head again and slammed it into Girafarig's wall. Girafarig flinched from each blow as small cracks began running down the length of the wall. It wouldn't hold for long.

Girafarig couldn't move, not with Warren still on its back and the wall barely held up by its will. So, I turned to my only remaining pokemon, hoping that it would at least just listen to me, just this once.

"Mareep!"

"Maa!" Evidently, self-preservation overwrote its dislike of me, and the little sheep bravely bounced forward, its tail swishing in the air as it stared down the rock pokemon. Electricity began crackling in its wool, as if it was daring the rock snake to attack it. It worked- the Onix broke off from attacking Girafarig, swivelling its giant head until its gaze was fixated on Mareep and I.

"Girafarig, take down your barrier and get Warren as far away from here as you can!" I commanded. Girafarig seemed ready to argue, but whatever it was about to say was interrupted when the Onix, seemingly satisfied with its new prey, attacked. I didn't bother to make sure Girafarig followed my instructions and turned my attention to the battle.

"Mareep, shine a light at its eyes!"

It was a long shot since I didn't actually know what I was doing. Who was to say that Mareep wouldn't be terrified by the prospect of fighting an Onix, or that it would know what I just said? All I knew was that if Mareep failed, we would both be dead.

Luckily, Mareep must have caught on. It bleated, lifting its tail high and aimed directly at the Onix. A brilliant burst of light- much like when one used a pokeball- illuminated the cave, blinding the Onix instantaneously. As it shook its head, trying to clear the light from its eyes, I seized my chance.

"Mareep, Tackle!" Despite what Warren had said, I wasn't completely useless when it came to handling Mareep- I had been around them my whole life. Just as I expected, the little pokemon slammed itself against the rock type as hard as it could. However, while it did manage to push the rock snake back several feet, it didn't even faze the Onix, and it soon towered above the two of us again.

"Maa-?" Mareep shook its head questioningly, backing up away from the rock snake as it rumbled furiously above us.

I silently cursed myself. If only I had paid more attention during those classes on pokemon training-! Still, it was too late to do anything about it.

"Try using your electric shocks," I suggested, trying my best to keep my cool. What else could Mareep do? I had only seen them laze around and eat grass, so I was hardly an expert in the matter. However, when the lightning strikes Mareep generated merely glanced off the Onix's rock skin, I knew that we were in trouble.

In fact, that was pretty much an understatement. The Onix, enraged from our constant barrage of attacks, let out a huge roar and threw itself at us. I barely had time to think, only time to react, so I yelled, "Flash!"

Light filled the cavern again, and the Onix, its aim thrown off by the sudden flash of light, slammed into the wall behind us. We were barely capable of scampering away from the hit, and when I looked again, I saw a deep hole in the wall where we had just been standing.

The Onix rose up from the dust and debris, roaring in fury. It was blinded from that last attack, but it was far from incapacitated. I bit my lip, trying to figure out a way out of this, and found myself wishing that Girafarig was here. But there was no time to regret my decision.

"Tackle again!" The little sheep bounded up towards the Onix, slamming its body against the rock snake. It barely missed getting squashed flat by the Onix's tail, dodging only by centimeters. It was a risky way to battle- the Onix couldn't see, true, but its random thrashings would get to us sooner or later. And if Mareep attacked, it would know where the little sheep was, and I doubted that the electric pokemon could keep dodging the Onix's constant attacks. We were situated on a ledge, without much space to maneuvre or even to run- we were trapped between an Onix and a very deep drop to our own deaths.

And then the solution hit me.

"Mareep!" I yelled. The little sheep glanced at me, its worry and fear betrayed on its face. "On my cue, Tackle the Onix, understand? Until then, don't get involved!"

It blinked, then 'baa'-ed in response before turning towards the battle. The Onix, now practically seething with rage, roared in frustration, slamming its tail and body all around. Rocks began to fall loose from the ceiling and I felt the earth beneath my feet move. I bit my lip, hoping against hope that it wouldn't crumble and fall like the entrance. However, that was the least of my concerns for now.

And there it was- that small shift of movement, that change in position.

"Mareep, now!"

"Maa!" Mareep practically screeched as it ran head-long into the Onix, pushing with all its might. There was a tense second or so when the Onix managed to recover, raising its tail to smash down on Mareep, but then it started flailing about, twisting and turning as it struggled not to be pushed off the edge. It gave one mighty roar before it started tilting backwards; its voice filled with fear.

It was the fear that shook me to my senses, as I just realized what I had done. In the midst of the battle, I had completely forgotten that the Onix was also another living being like I was. Mareep was blinking in confusion as the ground beneath the Onix began to give way from the sheer weight of the pokemon, and I realized just then what was about to happen: the Onix would fall back into the chasm, and it would die, unable to save itself.

But I could.

The pokeballs that Warren had given me sat empty at my belt. I didn't bother wasting time to think about the consequences of my actions- I just grabbed one and hurled it as hard as I could at the Onix. Thankfully, my aim wasn't off. The pokeball sucked the Onix within it, rebounding to land on a stable rock just a few inches away from the edge. The pokeball shook as the Onix struggled against its capture, but eventually it calmed down, and the pokeball lay still.

I felt relief wash over me, and suddenly my limbs felt weak. Mareep plodded up to me, the pokeball balancing perfectly on its woolly head, bleating in confusion.

As the adrenaline wore off, exhaustion, mostly from the stress of shock and fear, overwhelmed me, my muscles aching and my limbs feeling like lead. I collapsed in a pile by the wall, uncertain if I could even stand. I felt the urge to laugh bubble up inside of me, and I couldn't help but giggle. It wasn't long before that small giggle became full-blown laughter, and the only thought that raced through my mind was, I did it! I faced a wild pokemon, on my own, and won, on my _own. _And I didn't just defeat it; I caught it! (Albeit in a situation which I didn't predict would happen, but still...) I threw my head back and laughed until my sides hurt before I managed to regain some sense of composure.

Wiping away some tears, I picked the ball from Mareep's head. Doubtless the little pokemon thought I was insane by now. "Thank you," I said. "Go get Girafarig. We're gonna get out of here."

Mareep watched me for a moment before twitching its little ears and running off down the path, presumably to find the Girafarig. I sucked in my breath as the light faded off into the distance, marvelling at the fact that I was still alive. Onix's pokeball felt cool in my hand, and I wondered whether it would be happy that the prey that it tried to eat had turned the tables on it. And I still had to worry about Warren's health.

But in those few minutes while I waited for Mareep and Girafarig to return, sitting there in the soothing darkness of the Union Cave, I could feel the gentle breeze blowing against my face, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Next: Azalea Town, and Dew ends up having to face a particularly hostile trainer. A new resolution is reached.


	10. The Spark of Willpower

Chapter 9! ... And I have nothing else to say. Hopefully I didn't mess up my description of Azalea Town too badly, since it's been ages since I've watched the anime. Like, almost a decade since.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

The Spark of Willpower

We managed to make it out of Union Cave without too much difficulty. The sky was already darkening, and the marked route was tainted a shade of orange cast by the light of the setting sun. Thankfully, we could see the lights and smoke from a town not too far away, and Girafarig, wanting to be rid of its burden, trotted along with nary a pause, absolutely confident that Mareep and I would eventually follow.

We reached Azalea Town in under an hour, probably because Girafarig was nudging us along the whole way. It was smaller than Violet, but it was evident that it was just as prosperous, with craftsmen working at their shops, exchanging familiar calls with everyone that passed by. It was one of those towns where everyone knew everyone, so when Girafarig, still carrying Warren, and I entered the town, we attracted a decent amount of attention. Several helpful people pointed us the way to the Pokemon Center, and it didn't take us too long to find it.

Once we were within the safe confines of the Center, I quickly explained the situation to the on-call nurse, and she immediately rushed Warren off... somewhere. It seemed like he was in good hands, though the last time I saw him, he was being carried around on a stretcher by four Chanseys.

"That's not something you see everyday," I muttered. "Will he be alright?"

"Don't worry about it," the nurse said with a smile. "Your friend seems to have taken a nasty hit to the head, but from the preliminary, it doesn't look too serious. It's probably just a concussion, but we'll give him an x-ray just to be sure that he didn't fracture his skull or anything like that."

That was one scenario I had completely forgotten, and thankfully I didn't think about it inside the cave, or else I would have been panicking even more. That still didn't stop me from worrying though, even now.

"You came through Union Cave, correct?"

"Y-yes. The entrance to the Cave is blocked, there was a rockslide just about an hour after we entered. I think we were in there for what, four... five hours?"

The nurse nodded. "I'll alert the maintenance crew immediately. Why don't you take a rest now, Ms Eldridge? You seem to have been through a lot."

I handed my pokeballs over to the nurse and slumped down into a sofa in the common room, feeling as though I had climbed up Mount Mortar (though, technically, Union Cave must have counted for something). I glanced around- the Pokemon Center in Azalea seemed fuller than the one in Violet, with pokemon trainers ranging from ten- to twenty-years old loitering around, talking and merrily mixing around with others. I felt overwhelmed by it all, and didn't quite feel like joining in- for some reason, I kept thinking of them as a group of people I would never quite fit in with, and myself as an outsider that shouldn't even be there. All thoughts of socializing were cut short, however, when my stomach began to grumble.

"Oh, come on," I groaned, remembering that I hadn't had anything to eat since our break.

I figured the Pokemon Center must have served free meals, seeing as some of the other trainers were already eating their dinner, but I didn't quite feel like staying in an enclosed room filled with people I didn't know, and to be frank, the meal that they were serving looked awfully like gruel. The urge to feel the cool autumn breeze on my face was much louder than my aching legs' demands to rest, so despite myself, as soon as my pokemon were healed, I let Girafarig and Mareep out and left the Pokemon Center, ready to explore Azalea to its fullest.

The first thing I noticed about Azalea was that, for every human in residence, there was a certain pink, dumpy-looking pokemon sitting around doing absolutely nothing. This seemed unusual enough; but what struck my interest was the fact that, instead of ignoring them or trying to chase them off, the people of Azalea actually fed and played with these creatures- almost like they were encouraging them to stay. The pokemon, in return, took up space just about everywhere- in the park, in the streets, even on top of the houses! The most I had ever seen them do was yawn, for even movement seemed too much for them.

It wasn't hard to find something to eat- there was no shortage of restaurants and shops in Azalea, oddly enough. Girafarig and Mareep were pretty content to eat the leftover pieces of bread I still had in my pack and once they were done with that, we quickly hit the streets. It probably wasn't the best time to go shopping, but I realized that I had not actually stocked up on supplies, so the only shop we really went to was the local Pokemart, where I bought some potions, pokeballs and some pokemon food before handing over the last of my cash.

I sighed. I had been thankful that we didn't encounter any trainers on the way, but when I stared at my empty wallet, I realized there was no way about it: I would have to fight a trainer sometime soon; I just didn't know how. A small part of me wanted to simply charge into the pokemon center and grab a trainer, demanding a fight, but I doubted anyone of them would want to fight now. It was a well-known rule that the only time a pokemon trainer didn't fight other pokemon trainers on sight was when they were in a Pokemon Center. It would be considered extremely rude, then, if anyone actually did that. Plus there was that little fact that I still didn't know much about pokemon battles.

"What do you think I should do, Girafarig?"

Girafarig snorted in response, too busy grazing on the sidewalk to pay much heed to my question. Thus, I was totally caught by surprise when its tail swivelled to face me and grinned.

I had read that Girafarig's tail possessed a brain of its own, and some of my teachers had speculated that they may possess their own sentience (I didn't really pay attention to the facts, but stuff like that was easy to remember). Still, there was something inordinately creepy about the fact that Girafarig's tail (which didn't seem to do much most of the time, except maybe grin at random pokemon) was actually alive. Helpful, but creepy.

It chuckled at my confusion and jerked its head towards a big building on my right. A sign was helpfully placed nearby, dictating what the building was.

"Pokemon Gym," I read aloud. I sighed. "Not really much a choice left, huh." Warren had expressed his concern for the fact that Azalea was a bug pokemon gym, which would be bad for me to challenge, somehow. Still, I had made a decision back in Violet to become a pokemon trainer, and pokemon trainers collected gym badges... didn't they?

I bit my lip. If Warren's gym challenge was any example, gym leaders were a whole lot harder than your average trainer. And considering I had no idea what were bug pokemon's strengths or weaknesses (apart from flying), what were my own pokemon's strengths or weaknesses, or what my pokemon even knew, I would have ranked myself as a ridiculously-below-average trainer. Which meant...

"We're doomed," I groaned, my head in my hands. Mareep bleated in response, deciding to munch on my pants rather than comfort me. Girafarig merely snorted again before wandering off to yet another patch of grass. It seemed my pokemon were enjoying themselves while I had to juggle depressing thoughts in my head.

Then there was that _other _problem: the Onix's pokeball sat lifeless on my belt. I wasn't too keen on sending it out- I seriously doubted that a small little red-and-white ball would stop it from attacking me, but I had to let it out sometime, if only because I didn't want it to starve. I had no idea what to do- what if I released it and it started attacking anything in sight? Or what if Girafarig and Mareep failed to hold it back? Just the thought of looking into its eyes again sent shivers down my spine.

In fact, the only reason why I had managed to feed it was because we had simply left some food in plain view, hid behind a bush and let it out to eat. Thankfully, it didn't spot us, and since there was nobody around, I didn't have to worry about people getting hurt. Still, it was a new standard of low when the only way you fed your pokemon is by letting them out when you weren't around, for fear of them suddenly springing into a rampage and attacking you.

I wondered whether I should release it, but that just felt like giving up. Like I was saying that I couldn't handle being a pokemon trainer.

I sighed. I needed somebody else to back me up; someone to tell me what to do when it came to handling pokemon and training them- I needed to talk to Warren.

We returned back to the Pokemon Center sometime before ten. The nurse informed me that Warren had woken up earlier that evening and had suffered no long-lasting injuries, so I wasn't too surprised to see him sitting in the common room with Gnat and Jaws on either side of him, deep in conversation with yet another bug catcher. There was that disgusting bowl of gruel in front of him, and even from a distance, I could smell that horrendous stench wafting over in our direction. I was wondering how to break into their conversation when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, aren't you Budew Eldridge?"

I jumped, startled by the touch and the sound of a completely unfamiliar voice. When I turned to see who was behind me, I found myself face to face with two trainers. One was dressed casually, with spiky, gelled black hair and gray eyes, while the other, a dark-skinned, dark-eyed, and slightly-older-looking boy, wore glasses and plain-coloured clothes. I had no idea who either of them were, and if it weren't for Girafarig nudging my shoulder, I would probably have stood there frozen until the Tauros came home.

"Yes, that'd be me," I replied, recovering from my fright. "Who are you?"

"Heh, you don't recognize me?" the first said. He leaned in close, so much so that I found myself backing up a bit. He sneered. "Aren't you the kid who didn't want to become a pokemon trainer? The one that didn't want anything to do with pokemon?"

I gulped. I still had no clue who these two were, and what they wanted with me, but it was obvious that they were trouble. Girafarig snorted, stomping a hoof by my side in warning, while Mareep's wool started to cackle with electrictiy. I was touched by my pokemon's loyalty, but we were already attracting a fair amount of attention from the rest of the trainers, and I sincerely didn't like the feeling of everyone looking at us.

"W-we don't want to fight," I said as calmly as I could, grabbing hold of both my pokemon before they did something rash. "Seriously. _We don't want to fight._" It took a gentle shaking, but finally Girafarig pulled back, snorting in disgust at the trainer's face, while Mareep's wool stopped sizzling, but the little pokemon continued glaring daggers in his direction.

"Nice pokemon you've got there, little Budew," the boy snickered. "Bet you mine could take them down easy. Especially this one-" He prodded Mareep's head with a foot. "Little weakling, isn't it? Mareep's are one of the worst possible electric types you could ever choose- no brains, no speed, no real aggression. Then again, a weak pokemon for a weak person."

I didn't know what came over me. I was terrified by this strange boy, and filled with embarrasment that we were causing such a scene. But the moment he touched Mareep's woolly head, I felt a chill down my spine and sprung into action without hesitation. "Keep your hands off my pokemon!" I snapped, stepping in front of Mareep.

As soon as I did that, I felt my courage return. It was one thing for anyone to insult or question me, but if he dared to even insinuate a threat to my pokemon's well-being, there would be hell to pay. I suddenly felt extremely protective of Girafarig and Mareep. After all, they were my pokemon; the onus was on me to safeguard their well-being and ensure that no harm came to them. They trusted me to do that much, if nothing else, and I didn't want to let them down.

"Why you-" I flinched as the boy raised his hand, anticipating the blow. It never came. When I glanced again, I saw a faint blue aura surrounding it. Girafarig.

"What do you think you're doing?"

It was Warren. He had gotten up from his seat, Gnat on his shoulder and Jaws at his heels. He shouldn't have looked so intimidating- but he did. There was a certain strength in his posture and his eyes, or perhaps it was because there was no trace of a smile on his face. He hardly looked like an injured person; in fact, he looked incredibly angry, almost like a different person entirely. He marched right up to my would-be attacker, every step punctuated by the intense, fierce look in his eyes.

Girafarig released its hold and the hand dropped immediately. "What business of yours is that, kiddo?" my would-be attacker snarled, massaging his hand, though his bravado was fading. "Just a conversation between school friends."

"Nat no veno!" Gnat snapped, eager to jump to my defense.

"Sure didn't seem like a conversation to me," Warren retorted. His brow was furrowed. "Sure seemed like you almost kicked the Mareep and was about to hit the trainer. Just count yourself lucky that I'm not going to report you to Nurse Joy." He swept a hand behind him- it seemed that we had garnered the attention of almost the entire center. "Although, I can't say much for them."

"Do you even know who you're talking to, you little-"

"Cool it, Alex." This time it was the other boy who spoke. He had been keeping quiet all this time, but his voice felt like ice, and the other boy- Alex- calmed down immediately. He was watching Warren carefully, his eyes betraying no emotion. "You- who are you?"

"Warren Brightly." Warren blinked exchanging a glance with Gnat, caught off-guard by the question. "What's it to you?"

Glasses-boy smirked and shook his head, turning to leave. "Nothing at all. Come along, Alex."

"Huh? Wait, Tony-"

"We don't want the trainers to start reporting us for pokemon abuse, right? You can continue your conversation with your classmate later."

They walked out of the Center as if they owned the place, but thankfully they were gone. The dread I felt quickly dispersed once they left, and once the potential for a fight had faded, the rest of the trainers went back to doing their own thing.

"Thanks, Warren."

"Maa!"

"Giiii."

My pokemon quickly tackled him, Girafarig licking his face while Mareep started rubbing itself against his leg, much to Gnat and Jaw's displeasure.

"Eh, it was nothing," he said, giving each of my pokemon a little pat before gently pushing them away. He looked at me with a big smile. "You saved my life back in Union Cave, didn't you? Just consider this as payback."

"Saving your life seems a little bit more than stopping a bunch of bullies," I muttered.

"Who were they, anyways?"

I shrugged. "Trainers from Violet? They seemed like they knew me. I was pretty well-known back in school for not wanting to have anything to do with pokemon."

"Well, then is then and now is now." Warren said, non-plussed about my own admission of the fact. "The circumstances have changed, though you might want to keep a careful eye out for them- Ow!" His face scrunched up in pain as Jaws started to eat his shoe. He quickly picked up the Trapinch, the pained expression on his face a contrast to Jaws' completely oblivous one, much to my amusement. "Anyways, there was something you wanted to ask me, right?"

"You said you could teach me about battles."

"Yeah, I recall saying something like that, before-" He winced and gestured vaguely into the air, Jaws gnawing on his hands. "The Cave, the explosion- you know. You actually want to learn? I thought after all you've been through, you'd be happy to return home. That's what most kids do anyways, give or take a few months."

"What, you didn't think I meant it when I said I was coming along?" I tried to look as determined as possible. "I said it before. Dad and I need the money, and this is the only way I can help him."

Warren grinned. He stretched out his free hand (the other one was still attached to a teething Trapinch). "Alright then, I'll see what I can do. But it's up to you- I can give you all the facts, but first you've got to have the will to fight. No more running away from battles. Pokemon training is a lot harder than it looks, and you need to have some guts and an iron will to keep going. You still interested?"

I took his hand and shook it, as hard as I could. "Warren Brightly, you've got yourself a deal."

* * *

Next: Dew and Warren set out for a training session, but it seems someone just can't leave them alone. Trouble lurks just beyond the horizon.


	11. The First Step

Whew. Writing a fanfic is a lot harder than I thought it'd be. Oh well. Ten chapters complete!

* * *

**Chapter 10**

The First Step

"Okay, what's the first important thing you need to keep in mind during a pokemon battle?"

"Uh... the pokemon's health?" I ventured.

"Good. Now what kind of pokemon do you have on hand?" Warren was marching ahead of me like a drill sergeant, holding a stick while gesturing wildly. Gnat sat on his shoulder, its eyes gazing encouragingly at me. We had set off in the morning- for an 'extra-tough-crunch-time-turn-Dew-into-a-trainer' session, according to Warren- and while the rest of the world had yet to wake up, we were already on our way to... somewhere. I didn't manage to pry the answer out of Warren, and he was adamant about not telling me where we were going.

"Um." I exchanged a glance with Girafarig. "A psychic type, an electric type, and a rock type?"

"Rock-ground, Dew," Warren shot me a sharp glare from over his shoulder. "Onix is a dual type. Girafarig too- it's psychic-normal, which is why ghost type attacks don't work well on it."

I blinked, processing the information. I could have sworn that the psychic pokemon was scared of ghost types- it had ran fast enough from the Gastlys back in Sprout Tower. But my doubts were soon cleared when Girafarig whinnied, its face bashful. It seemed it didn't know that the Gastlys couldn't hurt it. "Okay, so psychic-normal, got it," I muttered. Girafarig snorted.

"So what are your pokemon's weaknesses?"

I strained my thoughts, trying to remember what we had gone over the day before. "Uh, for Mareep, it's ground, right? A-and Onix are weak to water, grass, fighting, steel, ice and- um- ground, because of its dual type, but it gains an immunity to electricity." I winced, remembering how Mareep's lightning shocks did absolutely nothing. "For Girafarig..." I glanced at the pokemon, and my mind was a complete blank.

Girafarig sighed. It seemed it had a hard time trying to figure it out too.

"Dark and bug types. They get immunity to ghosts, and fighting is reduced to normal effectiveness, but you gotta watch out for the dark types. And the bug types." Warren quickly pet Gnat on the top of its head to emphasize his point. It squeaked in reply. "Which was why I wasn't sure whether you were up to the gym challenge. Girafarig is your strongest pokemon at this point, so it goes without saying that you most likely would have thought of using it against Bugsy."

"What are we doing?" I asked, glancing around at the trees. We had spent the past twenty minutes walking back towards the Union Cave, though Warren assured me that we weren't going back in there.

"Helping you become a trainer, of course!" Warren turned back at me. "Not having second thoughts, are you?"

Girafarig and I shook our heads.

"Okay! Then list your pokemon's attacks!"

"Wha-what, already?" My mind was in a frenzy. I had barely managed to memorize the whole chart on pokemon weaknesses and strengths, which wasn't helped by Warren's constant corrections whenever I said something wrong, and my eyes were tired from staying up all night. I had barely gotten a wink of sleep when Warren (who had slept half the day away yesterday) woke me up and ushered me out of the Center. We didn't even stop for breakfast. Resolution, I reminded myself, trying to shove the image of a bowl of gruel away from my mind. Resolution.

Girafarig nudged me encouragingly. As my starter, it was also roped in by Warren for his training schedule, though it did seem to be doing better than I did in terms of understanding half of what Warren said.

"Uh. Okay." I sucked in a deep breath, reminding myself I had already gone over this. "Based on what I know so far, Mareep knows Thundershock, Tackle and Flash. Girafarig knows Confusion, Stomp and Reflect-"

"Wait, Reflect?" Warren glanced at Girafarig. "That thing knows Reflect?"

We blinked. "That's the blue-light-wall-screen-thingy, isn't it?" I asked, drawing a square in mid-air while Girafarig whinnied in agreement.

"B-but Girafarigs don't learn Reflect!"

I huffed. Didn't he at least have some faith in my ability? "Girafarig, Reflect!" A blue screen of light appeared in front of us, and I had the pleasure in seeing Warren's jaw drop, his eyes bulging. Girafarig didn't bother controlling it's amusement- it snickered uncontrollably, collapsing into a heap of kicking legs and black-yellow splotches by my side.

He pulled out a tattered book labelled "The Trainer's Guide to Pokemon" and flipped through it, his frown growing deeper by the minute. "That's impossible! No freshly-caught Girafarig can do that! Look, it says so right here!" He frowned, peering over the top of the book. "Come to think of it, where did you get that thing?"

"Mauve found it after your gym battle. Nobody was registered as its trainer. She thought it was mine."

"Huh. Well that's mysterious." He rubbed his chin, then sighed. "Gah, this is too much for me to think about this early in the morning!"

I arched an eyebrow, plucking the book from his hands. "So what do you call forcing me to memorize type compatibility charts?" I flipped through the pages- and just as usual, nothing seemed to make sense. Though if I concentrated hard enough, I could vaguely recall some of the facts written down in the book. Vaguely.

"Training!" Warren grinned, recovering in record time. He stopped short of a small clearing, hands on hips and looking as though he had just climbed Mt. Coronet. "Well, whatever. We're here."

"Here?" I blinked. 'Here' didn't look extremely remarkable. We were surrounded by brush, having left the beaten path a while back. There were plants and trees all about, though you could still see the marked route if you paid close enough attention. In fact, it didn't look any different from any part of the route at all.

"Here," Warren gestured, and amidst the foliage, I saw a ladder poking out of a square-ish man-made hole. "Slowpoke Well. We're far enough from civilization for you to train properly, and the pokemon here are said to be relatively easy to handle, too."

"Slowpoke?" I echoed. Girafarig neighed, a picture of those dumpy-looking pokemon loafing around Azalea town blinking into my mind. "This is where they come from?"

"Mm-hm!" Warren was practically beaming. "The locals around here are pretty reverent of their Slowpokes; something about how the water level around here depends on them yawning or somesuch. They don't mind if we fight them, though, as long as we don't upset them."

I paused. "D-do you think they'd mind if we catch them?" I asked meekly.

Warren frowned. "Probably not, though you might have to ask. Why, do you want one?"

I coughed. "Well, they did look _kinda _cute..." There was a moment of silence, then Warren, Gnat, and Girafarig all let out a collective sigh.

"Slowpoke aren't really easy pokemon to train, you know," he said sternly. "They're useful, to be sure, but they are slow like crazy. And they're psychic types. You seriously don't need another psychic pokemon in your party if you're going to challenge Bugsy."

I bit my lip. So much for that idea- the first pokemon I actually wanted to catch, and... I sighed. "Alright, then what about a Zubat?"

"A Zubat?" Warren watched me suspiciously, as if expecting me to come up with another silly reason for wanting a Zubat. "Why would you need a Zubat? You've got Girafarig, Mareep, and Onix. Zubats are hardly rare pokemon, you know, and they start off pretty weak. Plus, having three pokemon is usually tough for a beginning trainer to handle, let alone four."

"W-well, it's good against bug types, right?" I hesitated slightly when I realized he was eyeing me carefully. "Flying types are also pretty agile, which makes up for Mareep and Onix's lack of speed, right? Also, it'd be good to have a counter to bug types when my strongest pokemon is Girafarig and since it's pretty weak, it should be easier to handle and-"

Warren snickered before bursting into laughter, garnering my confusion. "Oh man, this is great," he said, wiping away tears from his eyes. "Dew, you spent only one night studying about pokemon and you already remembered all of this? We'll get you whipped into a trainer in no time! You really need to tell me how you actually managed to cram all of this in. It took me months to actually understand that pokemon were more than type compatibility."

"Oh, that's simple," I muttered, scuffing my shoe against the dirt. "I really wanted one, so I paid more attention to it when I was studying."

"Heh, so if you find things interesting, you'd actually bother learning about them?" Warren scratched the tip of his nose. "Makes sense, I guess. Alright, you've made a strong case. Though I'm curious- why'd you want one?"

"Er... well. They looked cute."

* * *

The inside of the Slowpoke Well was larger than I expected. Scratch that, it could have been considered a whole town on its own. Water dripped from the ceiling, and the air itself was moist. Streams of water flowed around small islands of rock, and the only way of navigating around the Well was by a muddy, badly-maintained path. I half-wondered how anything could live down here, but we had barely set foot into the cave when the sounds of wildlife filled our ears.

The first thing I learned was that Zubats were plentiful here- there was food to eat, a dark place to hide, and no enemies to think about (save the Slowpoke, but they were fed well enough by the Azalean folk to not bother chasing the Zubats). The second thing was that you could not take a step into the cave and not run into a Slowpoke. Seriously. If I thought Azalea was bad enough, the Slowpoke Well was filled to the brim with the pokemon, though I guess I should have expected it.

Warren quickly had Girafarig and I begin our attempts to catch a Zubat. It was hard- the Well was dark, and the pokemon were not only fast, but small and hard to spot as well. It took us a while to finally corner one, weaken it, and catch it in a pokeball- only to have it burst out and fly away, having had enough of our pitiful attempts to capture it.

"That happens a lot," Warren assured me as he scratched Gnat on the head. "You just have to keep trying."

"Easy for you to say," I muttered. He only had to capture Gnat; Jaws hatched out of an egg by himself.

Girafarig looked at me reproachfully. It knew I was getting frustrated from my own inability to catch a Zubat, and it was probably mentally chiding me for taking it out on Warren. I just glared at it and thought harshly, if I could have caught an Onix without it breaking out of a ball, how much harder was it to catch a Zubat?

It snorted in return and trotted off to find another Zubat to target, though it seemed more interested in talking to the Slowpokes that had gathered to watch us.

A part of me felt guilty, but another part snapped that it wasn't Girafarig's business to pry into my mind anyways. It probably wasn't fair of me, but then again, I didn't feel like being fair when I had spent the whole night studying, being woken up early in the morning for training, and then being incapable of doing something so simple as catching a pokemon!

Girafarig snorted again, though this time it sounded more like a chortle.

"Are you laughing at me now?"

"Gii-ra."

I sighed. It seemed that, even though we had travelled with each other for about a week, Girafarig only had two opinions of me- perpetually in need of its help, or extremely amusing.

We found another Zubat after several minutes of hard searching. It was easy for us to weaken the flying pokemon, what with Girafarig's awesome psychic powers and all, and it didn't take too long for me to throw a pokeball at it- if there was one thing I could be proud of, at least, was that my pokeballs had a hundred-percent hit rate.

However, just like the last one, it simply burst out and ran away.

"Maybe it's just not your lucky day?" Warren suggested. He was sitting with Gnat and Jaws, near the entrance of the Well, a bag full of berries being shared by the trio as they watched us.

"A-aren't you supposed to be training?"

He held up a pecha berry and tossed it into his mouth. "Jaw training," he responded defensively. "Besides, this is bonding time between my team and myself!"

Girafarig and I exchanged another glance. "So, lemme get this straight. My bonding time is to catch a Zubat with my pokemon, while yours is... eating berries?"

Warren grinned. "Berries are good. They're essential for a healthy pokemon's diet! ... Also, my pokemon are stronger than yours, so there."

I rubbed my temple. "You have two pokemon. I have three. I may not be good at maths, but doesn't that mean that our strength levels are about even-?"

"Don't forget who's in charge here!" Warren waved his stick about again. I had no idea he had carried it with him all the way down here. "Continue with your training!"

Girafarig and I exchanged a glance and sighed.

Thankfully, by the time we pulled out our fourth attempt, Girafarig and I had pretty much mastered the 'target, attack, weaken' part of pokemon training. It wasn't easy to actually fight wild pokemon, since they weren't actually threatening our lives and were, for the most part, just minding their own business, but Warren assured me that all pokemon were used to it, humans having been doing this for several centuries. Besides, he argued, the pokemon would have stopped our training if they wanted to- and they were capable of running away.

It still didn't make me feel any better, but with Girafarig's constant nudges, I found myself able to continue. Luckily, we finally managed to capture a Zubat, who, as I found out, was the sweetest little thing you could have imagined. It wasn't particularly strong, as Warren was quick to point out, and it seemed more willing to flee than to fight, but it was still my fourth pokemon.

I wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

"What are you gonna name it?" Warren asked me as Jaws finished up the rest of his berries, seemingly content with eating its plastic wrapper as well.

"N-name?" We were just about ready to leave- Girafarig and I had spent the past few hours doing non-stop 'training', and both of us felt pretty exhausted. In fact, the idea of naming my pokemon hadn't even occured to me at all.

"Oh yeah, you haven't named the rest of your pokemon either," Warren murmured. "Are you gonna get around to doing it sometime soon?"

"I-I guess?" I glanced at Girafarig. It shrugged. "I-I just never thought that I should name my pokemon, s-so-"

Warren was about to respond, probably with a lecture on how naming your pokemon was a good step to becoming a trainer, when a voice pierced through the darkness.

"Aw, isn't this sickeningly sweet?"

Someone else was there. I tried to spot who had spoken, but the shadows were too deep. Whoever it was, it caused Girafarig to suddenly turn defensive, growling angrily at the speaker. It seemed that it had been too distracted by our training to have noticed the presence, but since it found it, it didn't like it.

"Heh. Seems like that weakling remembers me." The shadows melted away to reveal a familiar form. I frowned- it was that boy, the one from yesterday. The one who tried to hit me. It was no wonder Girafarig was so on edge.

"Where's your friend?" I asked, realizing that he was alone. The clothes he wore were dark in colour, causing his pale skin to stand out in the dark. He looked almost like a disembodied head.

"Who, Tony?" He shrugged. "Probably still at the Center. I overheard you guys last night- figured you might end up coming here. Tony didn't want in."

"You were waiting for us?" Warren asked, his voice dangerously low. "You were watching us?"

"Not you," the boy said dismissively. "I hear you're way tougher than you look. Something about a Champion's son...?" He scratched his head. "Eh, whatever. I got no bone to pick with you."

"What do you want?" I snapped. "You antagonize me, you tried to hit me, and now you're stalking me too? Just who are you and what did I ever do to you?"

"You rea-ally wanna know?" He smirked, hands on hips, a shining example of arrogance, with condecension oozing out of every pore on his body so much so that I wanted to hit him. "I'm Alexander Farr, from Violet City, and I challenge you, Budew Eldridge, to a pokemon battle. The reason why?" He pointed a finger at me. "People like you aren't fit to become pokemon trainers. You're a disgrace to everyone who calls themselves a trainer, running around with your little electric sheep and psychic horse and now your little bat, pretending that you understand what it means to be a trainer. The Pokemon League is ending in a year, and wimps like you are crawling out of your little holes to kick dirt into all our faces!"

"Y-you think you know-" I began, only to be interrupted when he took out a pokeball, directly pointed at me.

"Any reason you come up with is only an excuse!" Alex sneered. "You don't have the guts to be a trainer, and I'm gonna prove it by sending you running home!"

* * *

Next: Budew and Alex's fight is interrupted, and the first signs of an approaching disaster appears.

Also, because of my busy schedule for the next few months, I'm not sure when I can get the next chapter up, but tentatively, I'd say I could pull one out of my hat in two weeks' time.


	12. FirstHand Experience

So, I'm aware that Budew is running around with four pokemon at a really early stage in the story, but I swear she won't be getting any others till maybe the later half of the journey. I'm hoping that it would be better in developing the other pokemon's character better or something, so we'll see.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

First-Hand Experience

Two things ran through my mind. The first, that I was getting challenged by another trainer- and not just any trainer- Alex. Some kid from Violet who disliked me because of my own reluctance with pokemon; who thought I was not fit to become a trainer. Some kid who was way too full of himself. The second involved me jumping off a cliff and dying. Painfully.

"So, do you accept or not?" Alex tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for my response. His eyes were filled with disdain, and from the way he held himself, I knew that he thought of himself as more than a match for me.

"Er, n-no?" I replied meekly.

"Bzzt, wrong!" Alex grinned. "Trick question, wimp. Once our eyes meet, you've got no choice but to battle!"

I looked to Warren for back-up, but he only shrugged. "He's right, you know," he told me. "It's practically an unwritten rule. There's no way out of this one. You're going to have to fight."

"F-fight?" My voice sounded like it rose a pitch.

"Aw, don't be like that, Dewdrop," Alex sneered, tossing his pokeball in his hand. It was clear that he was enjoying this. "You could always bow out, you know. And fork over half of your cash."

I swallowed. "I-I don't have any-"

"Then that's too bad, isn't it, wimp?"

"Look at it this way," Warren said calmly, resting a hand on my shoulder. "You've got nothing else for him to take if you lost." He smiled encouragingly. "Besides, I don't think you'd lose. Not to this, uh, loser."

"I heard that, Brightly!" the boy snarled, despite being several feet away. "When I'm done with her and her pokemon, Arceus dammit, yours are next!"

Warren shot him a glare, somehow startling Alex into silence. "Silly people and their meaningless threats," he muttered, turning to me once more, grinning brightly, "Anyway, just think of this as just some practice before Azalea Gym. And this is a trainer battle, so you don't have to hold back like you were doing with the wild pokemon. Just give it your all." He clapped me on the back. "Gnat and I are supporting you, all the way!"

"Nat!" Gnat agreed, following his action by giving me a quick slap on the cheek. "Venonat!"

Even Jaws, who normally stood around doing nothing except chewing on Warren's shoes or hands, waddled up to me to rub its bulbous head against my knee. It was heart-warming, to see that they had such faith in my capabilities as a trainer. Even if that slap did sting a little.

"Fariig," Girafarig whinnied, pawing the ground in anticipation.

"Yeah, I got it. Thanks, guys." I flashed it a smile before turning my attention to Alex, trying to stop my knees from shaking. "Alright, Mr Farr- I accept your challenge!"

"Aw man," Alex groaned. "Can you drop it with the titles? You're killing me over here, Eldridge." He shrugged his jacket off, revealing two pokeballs on his belt, discounting the one in his hand. "Well, whatever. I'm just glad you finally decided to do something. Go, Vine!"

'Vine', as it turned out, was a Bellsprout. Then again, Alex was a trainer from Violet, so it wasn't exactly unexpected. Still, from the way that the Bellsprout looked like it was about to sprout wings and lunge at me, it looked almost like a Gligar waiting to pounce. And, to be honest, I had no idea that Bellsprouts could ever look so... intimidating.

"Girafarig?" I asked the psychic pokemon. With a nod, it cantered over to a position directly across the Bellsprout. I knew it could handle it- the question was, could I?

"Vine, Vine Whip!"

That was a mouthful. I barely caught what he had said when the Bellsprout lumbered towards Girafarig, swinging its roots everywhere. Girafarig managed to duck under the first few vines, but it wouldn't be able to avoid them forever. It needed to move, now. "Girafarig, Confusion!"

Girafarig neighed, lifting its head as familiar waves of psychic power flew from the tip of its horns, stopping the attack immediately and wrapping the Bellsprout up in a cocoon of blue light. There was a flash of light, and when it cleared, Vine was lying unconcious on the cave floor. Girafarig snorted, daring Alex to send out his next pokemon.

"Nice shot," Warren said, startling me. He grinned at my surprise. "This is your fight, Dew, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna pay attention. You did a smart thing, sending Girafarig out against a poison-type like Bellsprout."

"Th-thanks." I decided it was best that I didn't mention I had no idea Bellsprout was actually a poison type, or that psychic pokemon like Girafarig were actually good against them.

"Don't go congratulating her just yet, Brightly!" Alex spat, returning Bellsprout to its pokeball. "And you! Don't look so relieved- this battle's just getting started! Digger, you're up!"

His second pokemon was a Sandshrew- freshly caught, probably, and just like the Bellsprout, way more intimidating than I had ever seen any Sandshrew be. It snarled fiercely at Girafarig, startling the psychic horse enough for it to glance worriedly in my direction. Just what was it with all of Alex's pokemon looking as though they had spent the last ten years living through hell?

"Digger, Scratch!" Alex commanded, and the Sandshrew dashed at Girafarig faster than our eyes could catch it, landing a hit on the psychic pokemon's shoulder blade. Girafarig let out a screech of pain, backing away from the Sandshrew, and I saw a few drops of blood hit the ground beneath its hooves.

"Girafarig!" I fought the temptation to run up to it and check on its wound when it glared at me; this was a battle, I had to show that I was still in control. Besides, after what we had been through, I knew Girafarig was a lot tougher than it looked.

"You sure you can still fight?" I asked it. I wasn't going to put my pokemon in danger if they weren't capable of handling it.

Derisively, Girafarig snorted, stomping its hooves into the ground. It made it clear that it wasn't about to back down- especially not from a little pokemon like a Sandshrew.

I couldn't help but smile at Girafarig's determination. It knew I was scared, but it also knew how much I didn't want to lose, especially not to somebody like Alex Farr. And I was willing to bet that it didn't want to lose either. "Alright," I said. "Let's go, then. Confusion!"

"Sand Attack!" Just as Girafarig began to attack, Alex's Sandshrew threw up a cloud of sand into the air, obscuring our view.

"Don't let it confuse you," I urged Girafarig. Some of the sand must have gotten into Girafarig's eyes, because it was thrashing its head around in pain. "Girafarig, come on! You're a psychic pokemon- use those psychic powers or something!"

Girafarig let out a whinny, but even before it could begin to concentrate, Sandshrew exploded out of the dust cloud, slashing across Girafarig's torso. The wound this time was deeper, and even though it was still standing, I could see that Girafarig's knees were shaking. It still couldn't see, and I wasn't sure how much longer it would last. I held out its pokeball.

"Girafarig, retu-"

_No. _The thought slammed heavily against my mind. It was laced with exhaustion, but also a firm determination. Girafarig refused to back down. _Can win. Fight._

"What's that, Dewdrop?" Alex's scathing voice cut across the cavern. "You hesitating in the middle of battle? You're not gonna win by just standing there, you know."

I scowled. "Girafarig! Return!" Despite Girafarig's own confidence, I wasn't about to let it continue a losing battle. Still, that left me at a tough decision- Mareep would never be able to use its electrical attacks against the Sandshrew, Zubat was only freshly caught, and Onix wasn't even an option.

But before I could do anything, an ominous sound filled the cave- a low, echoing tone that seemed to be emitted from the maw of some giant monster. It took me some time to figure out what was going on, because the sound seemed to be made out of disparate, low voices, converging into a deep, unsettling melody that echoed off the walls of the Well and surrounded us like ghosts. The very earth beneath our feet was trembling, and then I made out pink spots in the darkness of the cave with their heads pointed upwards.

The Slowpokes were yawning.

There was a heavy silence. I figured I should choose my next pokemon and continue the battle, but even Alex looked distracted. And there was something- perhaps just a gut instinct- that something big was about to happen, sending goosebumps down my arm. If I paid close attention, I could almost hear the sound of rushing water, rising up from the depths of the Well.

And then Warren grabbed my arm.

"We've got to get out of here," he said, suddenly urgent. He had already withdrawn his pokemon, and had his bagpack slung over his shoulders. "Alex, you too!"

"Just hold on a minute, Brightly. This is the middle of a battle-"

"Look!"

I gasped. The streams of water that ran around the Slowpoke well were suddenly growing larger, bigger; the current stronger and swifter. They were rising up, covering the land like an incoming tide.

"Remember what I said about how the people of Azalea believe Slowpokes control the water in the well?" Warren grinned awkwardly as he stared at the rising water. "I think they were right."

That shut Alex up. He quickly returned his Sandshrew. "What are you waiting for, losers?" he hollered as he passed us by. "Run!"

Luckily, we hadn't wandered too deep into the well, but even then, I could feel the water lapping up to my ankles as the minutes passed, soaking into my socks and almost pulling my feet from under me. The Slowpokes' yawning just continued, echoing from the depths of the cave behind us. I was lagging behind, with Warren slightly in front of me. By the time I started to climb, the water was already up to my waist.

"Dew, quick!" Warren extended a hand down towards me. I grabbed it and he pulled me out of the dark Slowpoke Well and the encroaching tide and into the warm, Azalean countryside. I didn't think I would ever be so thankful to feel grass under my fingers until then.

There was a heavy thump- I turned around to see Warren grab the giant Well cover, hiding behind some bushes, and slam it tight onto the Well just as the first rivulets of water began running down the side of the Well. It seemed that even in a situation like this he had still managed to maintain his calm somehow. Alex, however, was a totally different story.

"What the heck was that?" Alex yelled. His clothes was wet, and while he seemed to be in perfectly good health, there was no doubt that he was panicking."The Slowpokes were trying to kill us, man! They were trying to kill us! Wha-What just happened?"

A thought occured to me. Could it be? I glanced at Warren, hoping that he'd say it was a badly-timed prank or something, but the look in his eyes sank that boat quickly. A part of me wanted to scream no, that I had never wanted to be dragged back into a situation where I had to fight to survive, and that couldn't he possibly be wrong? After all, the Sprout Tower had only occured less than a week ago, right? Surely, just surely, there wouldn't be another attack now?

And then there was that low, ominous sound again, echoing from the other direction of the forest- from Azalea Town. We didn't see anything, no smoke, no fire; but that sound had just almost killed us- there was no mistaking it; no way that nothing had happened.

"I get the feeling we'll be finding out soon," Warren said grimly, his eyes staring off into a distance.

* * *

The Pokemon Center was a chaotic mess by the time we returned. Trainers were everywhere, their numbers significantly more than last night, and they were upset. Some were downright angry, getting into rows with the staff, while others- the younger ones, like me- seemed more inclined to hide in the corners of the room.

"Tony!" Alex called, spotting his friend. "What happened here?"

The older boy was standing to one side, a small pokemon with two magnets sticking out of its side hovering over his shoulder. He seemed introspective, but when Alex called, he gave a quick glance over our little group, a small smirk tugging at his lips. That vanished quickly, though, as he delivered the grim news. "The Ilex Forest has been blocked off."

"Blocked off?" Warren echoed.

Tony paused. "Not originally, no, but if you try to enter there now, you'll be stopped by a blockade of Slowpokes."

Warren and I exchanged a glance. This was sounding worse by the minute.

"Hold it, Tony," Alex snapped. "Just Slowpokes? I doubt that this bunch of trainers would sit still just because of a bunch of Slowpokes."

"Naturally." Tony fingered his glasses. "But the Slowpokes are only the most recent problem. You know that Azalea Town is known for their charcoal trade, yes?" He watched us for a moment before continuing. "Most of that comes from the trees of Ilex. However, earlier on today, a crew of wood-cutters went in to the Ilex forest, and didn't come back when they were supposed to. That alone shouldn't be causing this fuss, though, but several trainers went in the Ilex Forest as well, two of which have yet to return."

"Maybe they just moved on to Goldenrod?" Warren suggested weakly. He didn't believe it for one second.

"Doubtful. The two trainers left some of their pokemon in the Center's care before they left. They also mentioned to friends that they would be back, but of course-" He shrugged. "And then, there's always the case of that trainer who actually made it back."

"Someone made it back?" Warren asked.

"Yes, and if I do say so myself, his arrival was what sparked all of this in the first place," Tony said, waving towards the panicked crowd. "Came out of the forest a few minutes ago, muttering something about how he's being chased through a maze, how nothing makes sense. Luckily, the Slowpokes let him through and he was rushed to the center as fast as possible. The nurses are already doing their best to tend to him, but from what I've heard, he's in perfect physical health. Mentally, though, who knows. Whatever is going on in that forest, it's bad."

I bit my lip. I figured it was better to get it out in the open now, rather than beat about the bush. "Do you think that a psychic pokemon is involved?"

"Psychic pokemon?"

"We think that this isn't just a natural occurence, or a supernatural one as the case may be," Warren said, picking up where I left off. "Pokemon who are relatively docile acting up on their own, people getting hurt, and trainers disappearing- this sounds almost like the Sprout Tower."

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Alex snarled, surprise written all of his features. Rage, too. "What happened to the Sprout Tower?"

Tony sighed, rubbing the lens of his glasses with his shirt. "And this is why I wanted you to read the news, Alex." He turned to Warren, the perfect epitome of calm. "You think that a trainer is responsible for this?"

Warren paused, glancing at me. "I think so," he finally said. "There's no other explanation for it. Though..."

"Though?" The older boy was watching him carefully through his spectacles now, looking almost like a Noctowl.

"W-well, before, there were reports of the attacks described them as haphazard at best, aiming to confuse and panic the public," Warren said. "Nothing as organized as this right now. But the thing is, this attack hasn't hurt anyone yet, except maybe those that went into the forest. So why now? Why the change in pattern?"

I remembered the instance back in the Union Cave- back when we were attacked by a psychic pokemon. I felt a chill down my spine, but I couldn't figure out why. Surely the rampaging Onix I caught was just a coincidence. Surely there was a reason why disaster seemed to be stalking our every step.

"Maybe you're wrong," Tony stated flatly. "After all, you can't prove that the same person who attacked the Sprout Tower has come to Azalea to attack us. You can't even prove that it's the same person causing all the attacks. For all we know, this could be one of those times when the pokemon attack out of the blue- with no trainer involved." Warren shrank back a bit, but Tony continued with a smirk, "Or maybe there's something else in Azalea that makes it different from the rest of the targets. Something that made it absolutely imperative for the trainer to attack Azalea now."

Warren paused for a moment, frowning. He was seriously considering the question, but when he answered, it caught us all off-guard.

"Celebi."

"What?" Alex gaped, slouching over at a corner like a stunned Slowpoke. He seemed to be using that word a lot, I realized, though I felt like using it too. Celebi? I had thought that the attackers were after _us_!

"It has to be!" Warren was already picking up his bagpack and adjusting his hat. "Whoever they are- they're going after Celebi!"

"You're certain about this?"

"Well, yeah!" Warren's eyes were practically lit on fire. "What else could it be? Look, this is just a theory, but isn't Celebi a psychic pokemon? And wasn't the trainer that triggered those attacks a psychic-pokemon trainer? They're going after a legendary pokemon, and if they get it, something bad will happen!"

"You do realize that legendary pokemon are only myths, right?" Tony smirked, adjusting his glasses, watching Warren with something akin to respect. "You're a strange one, I'll give you that." He glanced at the pokemon by his side. "How about it, Coil? Do you think he's on the right track?"

"Magnemite," his pokemon answered, bobbing up and down. Just like its owner, it seemed completely expressionless. Still it must have counted for something, because Tony's smirk grew.

"Then that's settled!" Alex was all pumped up suddenly, raring to go. He clapped Warren on the shoulder- it seemed that he had completely forgotten he was just threatening us less than twelve hours ago. "Let's get a move on, Brightly!"

"Wait, what, huh-?"

"It's suicidal to head in there alone, you know," Tony said, walking past Warren. "You're going to need some help, and since I doubt anyone else in this dump will bother listening to you and your crazy theories about Azalea being attacked for Celebi, you're stuck with us. Besides," he added, glancing at the Magnemite, "I'm not too bad at battles, if I do say so myself."

"Dew-" Warren's eyes landed on me, and I instinctively knew what he was going to ask.

The truth was, I was scared. The whole talk that the three of them brought about topics like fighting pokemon way more powerful than I was used to- psychic pokemon, at that. I hadn't forgotten the Sprout Tower, nor had I forgotten the cave-in back in the Union Cave. I had no doubt that was caused by a psychic pokemon, and we had almost died back then. Besides, what help would I be? I couldn't even beat Alex, let alone some sort of high-level trainer of psychic pokemon that easily warped the minds of Slowpoke to do their bidding, capable of abducting or disposing of trainers and people that wandered into their path, and all sorts of other things.

"I-I'll stay here," I said quietly. "Someone has to stay behind, just in case, right?"

I could tell Warren didn't buy it. However, he understood my rejection well enough, and he nodded. "Stay safe," he called back, being dragged along by Alex as they left, waving frantically back towards me. "And if we don't come back in four hours, tell the nurse, okay?"

I nodded, waving at the departing trio until the doors closed behind them. I felt absolutely miserable, but I told myself it was for the best- I would only drag Warren down, and if he was going up against whoever it was, he would need to be at his very best. He would need someone that would fight alongside him, not someone that he needed to protect every inch of the way. Besides, three trainers was a bit too much against just one trainer, wasn't it?

Still, as I stood there, in a crowded pokemon center with noise all around me, I couldn't wash away the dread that had settled in my heart.

* * *

Next: Dew gets dragged into the Ilex Forest against her better judgement. A mysterious power warps the dimensions and leaves danger lurking in every step.


	13. The Root of the Problem

Still busy with stuff, so much so that I almost forgot to update . Thankfully, I've been able to get some writing done this week, although I doubt that I can push the next chapter out by next week.

Also, in response to Snowy-Leopard's question, yes, Alex and Tony are gonna be regulars in the story, if only to round up the main cast. Writing with only two characters with nearly similar personalities as the mains isn't going to be very interesting, after all.

Anyways, this chapter brings back an old character plus someone from the games who I... might or might not have written well enough.

* * *

**Chapter 12**

The Root of the Problem

The trainers seemed to calm down as the day wore on. Some of them went to the yard out behind the Pokemon center to train their teams, and others simply carried on like nothing had happened. However, I managed to hear whispered conversations where trainers were actually thinking of storming the Ilex Forest, getting rid of the Slowpoke barricade with their own pokemon. Unfortunately, whatever plans they had, they didn't have the guts to carry it out, or they realized how woefully under-powered they all were.

I remembered what Mauve had said back in the Sprout Tower- it was easier to fight with less people to drag you down. And trainers tended to be a solitary bunch, after all, so alliances were far and few between. Those that did manage to leave were quickly turned back to the Center- apparently the Town's guard had mobilized, blocking off the Ilex Forest alongside the Slowpokes.

I found out that, shortly after the boys had left, the chief of Azalea had decided that the Ilex Forest was out of bounds, though apparently the gym leader and his entourage had enterred the forest earlier. Many of the trainers, who had arrived to challenge the gym, were thus left with completely nothing to do. The Slowpoke Well was also closed, because of the sudden aggression of the pokemon who had now also blocked the other way into town, leaving all of us basically trapped.

I had hoped that whatever caused this turmoil would have been found by the gym leader and quickly extinguished, and I was hoping against hope that whatever caused this wasn't what Warren had thought it to be. But as the hours passed, I realized that they wouldn't be back soon.

Luckily, I was generally ignored by the rest of the trainers, though I did see some of them challenge each other to fights, if only to let off steam. I quickly left the Center, figuring that with the current crisis, Azalea's park would be devoid of anybody and a perfect place for my nerves. Plus, I wouldn't be challenged by random trainers who decided they wanted to make mincemeat out of me for whatever reason. Especially those with the familiar faces of Violet City trainers; like Alex.

The afternoon sun was lazily shining down in the small park when I reached, and I realized that the four hours Warren had given me would soon be up. I bit my lip- nobody had returned from the Ilex Forest yet, and truth be told, I was worried. Were three young trainers really capable of finding out the cause of whatever the problem was? Of course, the Gym Leader of Azalea was also in there somewhere, so surely nothing bad would happen, right? I hoped I wasn't jinxing them by thinking about it.

"... And she's been missing all day?"

"Yes, that's why I'm worried she might have enterred the forest. With what's been going on, I can't help but fear for her safety. You understand."

"And the Slowpokes have done nothing to ease your worries, I presume."

"Yes. Now normally, I would be in there myself, but what with the blockade and my back..."

Voices. I looked up, startled to see anyone else out here, now. But what I saw next startled me even more.

As they rounded a corner into the park square, there was an old man, who walked with a hunched back with balding hair and wearing a traditional garb. He was the one who had spoken last, and had the look of someone who had endured many decades of hardship. The second person, to my surprise, was much more familiar.

"M-Mauve!"

The old lady, as healthy and spry as ever, looked hardly like how I had last seen her, back in the hospital in Violet City- she must have healed quickly. Her gaze flicked around irritatedly when I called her name, poised to give a lashing, but the moment she laid eyes on me, her expression changed to that of mild surprise. "Budew!" she exclaimed. "What on earth are you doing in Azalea Town?" She scrutinized me, a faint smile finding its way to her lips. "Actually, don't bother. I think I know."

"A friend of yours?" the old man asked. Like Mauve, he was watching me carefully, but if I thought Mauve looked intimidating, he was a lot worse. His eyebrows were thick and white, perpetually furrowed into a frown. His jaw was tense, and his eyes seemed to pierce into your soul. I wondered, briefly, if my knees would give way just looking at this man.

Mauve smirked, and from that particular smirk, I figured she had picked up on my nervousness. Unfortunately, she didn't seem keen on helping me get over it. "Ah, Kurt, this is the young lady I was talking about. The one in Sprout Tower." She gestured me over to her companion. "Budew Eldridge, from Violet Town. Budew, this is Kurt. He's the renown pokeball maker, and an old friend of mine."

I murmured a greeting towards the old man, hoping that I didn't disrespect him or anything like that. He musn't have been, because he gave me a tight nod before returning his attention to Mauve. He didn't even comment on my name. That frown scarcely moved an inch, though.

"So, can you help?"

Mauve twirled her pipe in her hands, obviously mulling over his words. "Well, normally I wouldn't be too bothered. Bugsy, dear boy, is already in there, and usually he can handle things just fine. But-" She tapped her pipe, a glint in her eye. "I presume that there's more going on here than meets the eye. What do you think, Budew?"

I gulped. She had seen so certain of herself that I hadn't expected her to ask me for my opinion, so I just blurted out whatever came to mind. "Warren already came to that same conclusion. He went into the forest with two other trainers."

"And they probably haven't come back out, isn't that right?" Mauve chuckled. She seemed to have completely no regard for the weight of the situation. "Well then, it seems like it's all up to little old me again."

"Will you be alright, Mauve?" Kurt asked. I couldn't tell whether he was worried or not, because he perpetually seemed angry. And he scared me a bit, honestly. But the way he regarded Mauve was that of deep respect, and I briefly wondered just how long the two of them had been friends.

"Oh, who do you think you're talking to, Kurt?" Mauve smirked and patted me on the shoulder. "Besides, with this fine young lady, I should be completely fine."

I balked. "What?"

I think Mauve's smirk grew at my surprise. "Oh, surely you don't intend on leaving a poor old lady to trek through the forest alone, do you now, Budew dear?" There was that nasty glint in her eye again. "And you're a pokemon trainer now! Aren't you simply excited on going into Ilex Forest? There're plenty of pokemon that I'm sure you've never seen before in there!"

"Not really, no," I muttered, but it seemed to have went completely over her head. "Besides, they say that the Ilex Forest is off-limits to everybody."

"I'm sure they'll make an exception for me," Mauve said carelessly with a wink. "Come, now, Budew, aren't you the slightest bit worried about your friend?"

"W-well-" I hesitated. She did have a point there.

"Then it's settled!" She clapped her hands together and grabbed my hand, yanking my down the path before I could even formulate a reply. As we were leaving (or rather, as she dragged me away), she waved back towards Kurt, saying, "Don't worry! We'll find your grand-daughter and return her safe and sound by dinnertime!"

"It- it was very nice to meet you, Mr Kurt!" I called back. The last thing I saw before being dragged away by Mauve was the old man, looking extremely confused, and waving awkwardly at our retreating backs.

The entrance to the Ilex Forest was towards the western part of town. You could tell where it was just based on where the trees had gathered to grow- they were much denser, and their leaves were thicker, and their leaves were slowly changing into a soft bright gold in colour. It was beautiful, really, even from a distance, but all that was ruined by the sight of a horde of Slowpokes guarding the entrance.

Standing nearby were about ten people, spaced in a rough semi-circle around the Slowpokes, acting as if they were some sort of barrier to keep them out- or to prevent us from going in. Strangely enough, the Slowpokes weren't attacking them. Instead, the huge pile of Slowpokes merely sat there, unwilling to be moved, their dopey eyes staring off into a distance.

"How are we going to get in?" I asked Mauve. I sincerely doubted that the guards would just let us waltz by when we announced our intentions. In fact, I was hoping that they would stop the crazy old lady before she dragged me even further into this mess.

Mauve smirked. "Watch," she said, dragging me towards the guards.

"I'm Mauve Astrine," she announced regally. "Move aside."

Not surprisingly, the guards exchanged looks of curiousity at her statement. They seemed uncertain what to do, confronted by such a woman, and I saw them whispering amongst themselves. Frankly, I was amazed that they would even consider letting Mauve in, but then I wondered: Just how much did I actually know about Mauve Astrine anyways? Evidently, not a lot, because those men seemed to actually know her, and like Kurt, were actually deferring respect towards her.

"Y-you can't get in with the Slowpokes, ma'am," one of the men nervously said.

"That will be my problem," Mauve sniffed. "Can I enter?"

Looks were exchanged. I heard them whispering again, and some of the men were even trembling in their boots. Just what was it about Mauve that had them terrified so? I wondered. Finally, one of them came up to us and gave a salute. "Of course."

I felt my jaw drop.

"Close your mouth, Budew dear," Mauve said absently as she dragged me down the path towards the Slowpokes. "You don't want the flies to get in, do you?"

"But-!"

"Relax." She released her hold on my hand, giving it a little pat of reassurance. "Here we are. This is where the fun starts."

The Slowpokes were watching us warily. Feeling their glassy stares on us, I wanted to be back in the Pokemon Center, but obviously that was out of the question. And Mauve seemed to be itching for a fight- she had put away her pipe for her pokeballs and she was _grinning. _I gulped. It was no wonder the guards let us pass- there was something extremely terrifying about that grin, something involving tweezers, needles and long hours of the day begging for mercy.

"Mr Mime, go!"

There was a burst of light, and the sound of groaning and panicked Slowpokes. I could barely make out what was going on- it happened too fast, but what I did see was the Mr Mime tossing the Slowpokes away to the side of the path with quick gestures of its hands, its psychic powers slamming them into the ground quickly. Its posture was relaxed, its movement fluid, and it was obvious that this was just a warm-up excercise to it. When the smoke cleared, Mauve dusted her hands with a satisfied look in her eye, her Mr Mime looking ridiculously pleased with itself. The Slowpokes that remained scrambled away as quickly as their dopey legs could carry them, while the others lay groaning at the side of the road.

"Was that neccessary?" I asked her. I didn't think that the Slowpokes felt any pain, considering their lack of expression change, but that looked _painful_.

"No, but it was efficient," Mauve said, sauntering past me. She arched an eyebrow. "You weren't thinking of asking them politely to move away, were you? It wouldn't have worked. They're being controlled by another pokemon. This way, we save time and they just have to nurse their bruises for a while. Simple."

"Mime!" Mauve's Mr Mime agreed.

"Besides," the old bat said airily, "That was barely a fight. We're saving most of our power for whoever is behind all of this."

I paused, letting her walk on ahead. This was way too easy, and honestly, there was something bugging me. I had never expected to see Mauve again after the Sprout Tower, and I honestly didn't expect her to show up here, now, of all times and places. Besides, didn't the Slowpokes block up the way to the Union Cave as well? Not that it was even feasible for anyone to have passed through, and I didn't see Mauve amongst the rest of the trainers when I first arrived, and that last comment made it all too coincidental.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

Mauve halted, peering over her shoulder. "I flew in, of course, dear," she said. "Arrived this morning."

"Then you know- about the attacks being linked, about the pokemon acting weird, about-"

"Dear," she said, smirking, "that was the very reason why I came. I couldn't let a repeat of the Sprout Tower happen here, now, could I?"

"How did you know-"

"Anybody with half a mind and a pokegear plugged in to the nearest radio station could have come to the same conclusion, really. Pokemon acting up? That spells trouble." She gave her Mr Mime a pat on her head. "Besides, Mr Mime had detected psychic activity in the area. If nothing else, I couldn't just let _that_ slide."

I bit my lip, rubbing my temples. I didn't know what was wrong- it wasn't like Mauve was in charge of the attack or anything, but something told me that she was hiding something. Important? I had no clue, but I didn't like following someone not completely honest with me. And frankly, there was something about the way she carried herself that made it certain she wasn't just an ordinary trainer.

"Why did the guards let us through?"

"They were only letting an old lady pass through the forest to help their gym leader," she said calmly, completely unaware of the impossibility of her argument. She threw her hands up into the air. "What's with the questions? They had nothing to fear from me, and Budew, neither should you." She turned to face me, her familiar smirk on her face. "Now are we going to co-operate or not?"

"But you don't need my help," I began, only to be cut off by Mauve's laughter.

"Of course not," she said. "But I appreciate the company. Besides, what about your companions? You're not going to abandon them, are you?"

I found myself without reply nor argument. It was true- Mauve was going into the forest, and I wasn't about to pass up a chance to help Warren. I still felt guilty letting him wander into danger alone, though I was terrified from what lay waiting for us. Still- Mauve herself had chosen me to accompany her. Whatever it was that Mauve didn't want to tell me, I couldn't force it out of her, though perhaps my unwillingness to pursue the matter might have contributed to that.

"I didn't exactly want to come here," I muttered half-heartedly, glancing around. Ilex Forest was even more beautiful when you were in it than when you were looking at it from outside. Golden-hued leaves fell softly all around us, while the evergreen trees stood stoicly in the background, shrubbery and moss covering every single patch of ground. Though autumn hadn't come in full yet, fallen leaves covered the dirt path in patches, making even the dirt path itself look less unsightly than it should have been.

It was nice, I found myself thinking, but I had to remind myself that we weren't here for sight-seeing. After all, trouble could be lurking everywhere else, and there was no sign of anyone else ever since we left the guards back at the entrance.

"So, who are we supposed to be looking for?" I asked, vaguely remembering the request that sent Mauve speeding down here.

"Oh? Kurt's grand-daughter." She shook her head. "The girl usually wanders off into the Ilex Forest with her Slowpoke without any harm coming to her, but of course, the situation is different now." Mauve paused, glancing up towards the canopy- the trees were so tall that they almost blocked out all the sunlight. "It's almost sunset, so I think it's safe to say that she's fallen victim to whatever phenomenon has stopped the others from coming back."

"Of course, finding her isn't really the plan, is it."

Mauve shook her head. "While I'm worried about everyone's safety," she said in a completely unworried tone, "Our main target is the cause of this chaos. Once we find that, everything else will fall in place. A bit like a jigsaw puzzle."

We walked for a while, Mauve and the Mr Mime taking the lead while I trailed behind. I had no idea what exactly were we looking for since Mauve had pointed out to me that there were no footprints on the ground or anything like that. It was as if someone had wiped out every trace of human activity before we even set foot here, and there was a dull humming sound in my ears- I wondered if it could be wild pokemon, but none of the wild pokemon we encountered (who seemed keen on avoiding us) seemed to emit it.

The sun was setting as we walked, the light streaming through the branches slowly fading off into darkness. I wondered just where we were- it seemed like we were walking in circles, pausing only for Mauve to consult with her Mr Mime while I watched in miserable silence. I saw a few wild pokemon, but they didn't seem too hostile- in fact, they seemed to completely ignore us after watching us for a second or two. But no Warren, no Alex, no Tony, no anybody. Also, while this was the first time I had ever been in a forest of any kind, it sure seemed like we were walking in circles.

After a while, I couldn't take it any longer. "Where are we going?" I asked, trying my best to keep my irritation out of my voice. I certainly didn't want Mauve to just leave me here in this dark forest all alone, after all.

"Hmm?" Mauve tapped her lower lip, her eyes flicking to me for a second before returning to whatever they were staring at. "I have nary a clue."

"What?" I yelped. "We're lost?"

"I didn't say that," the old lady replied, completely calm as her Mr Mime continued gazing over the area. "But trying to track down a psychic signature isn't partularly easy either, dear. Mr Mime is already trying his best to pick up whatever pokemon is messing around with the forest, but there seems to be some sort of interference."

She must have seen my confusion, because she continued, "The dimension we're currently residing in is currently being warped by a psychic pokemon. Nothing makes physical sense any more; logic doesn't exist in such a place." She jabbed her pipe up towards the canopy. What was once darkened orange light streaming through the trees was now replaced by the blinding noon sun. "Time doesn't pass the way we expect it too. Didn't you realize we walked around in circles five times in a row even though we've been going directly straight? Mr Mime is trying to track down the source of this disturbance, but the warped dimensions make it hard for it to figure out where exactly we should go."

"Psychic pokemon can do that?" I found myself asking.

Mauve nodded. "It's actually a pretty useful move called 'Trick Room', though I've never actually used it myself. It twists everything around; in battle, the slowest pokemon move first. You might want to look it up." She frowned. "Although, I've never actually seen it used on this large a scale. Whatever pokemon is creating this must truly be powerful and highly experienced. There's no doubt that the enemy is a particularly strong trainer."

"Possibly the same person who attacked the Sprout Tower?"

Mauve grinned. "You're not as dumb as you look, dear girl." She pulled out her pipe. "But yes, all evidence points indeed to that fact. However, our mystery trainer will still remain a mystery until we find him or her. And thankfully, I'd like to consider my Mr Mime an extremely well-trained pokemon, capable of unravelling this particular dimension twist."

"Mime! Mr Mime!" All of a sudden, Mr Mime started jumping up and down, gesturing towards a barely-visible path off to our side.

"You've found something, Mr Mime?" Mauve's smirk grew. "Excellent work. Looks like we've found our mischief maker, Budew. Lead the way, Mr Mime!"

"Mime!" Mr Mime gave a quick affirmation before darting off down the path on its gangly legs, Mauve and I barely keeping up with it. Just as she had said, the scenery we had seen looped around us began to change, the trees growing less dense. I could see the glimmer of blue off in a distance- water. A lake? I hurried to catch up with the two of them, my worry for Warren and the boys intensifying.

And then the dull humming in my ears intensified, and the ground in front of me opened and rose up towards the sky like a wall, blocking me off from Mauve and Mr Mime. The humming was soon the only thing I could hear and suddenly it was incredibly dark all around me, as if the shadows were closing up. Where was Mauve and Mr Mime? I thought, trying to force my eyes open, but it was too painful for me to even think of it, let alone try- every attempt to make sense of what was going on was being foiled by the way the world itself was twisting and winding its way right under my feet. I felt my conciousness slipping away, and I struggled to maintain a firm grasp on my surroundings, though I felt as though I was in the middle of a dream; no, a nightmare. It was almost nauseating.

Finally, the humming passed, as did the nausea and the shifting planes. I found myself planted firmly on the ground, soft grass under the palms of my hands. I let out a shuddering breath, trying to get a grip on my mind as it tried to sort out what had just happened. It was as if I had run a marathon, not just a short distance, and I wanted nothing more than to collapse right there and then.

But something told me I couldn't. I groaned, forcing myself to breathe, and shoved myself off the soft earth. When I looked up, I almost forgot to continue breathing.

If I thought Ilex Forest was beautiful before, I had no idea what I was talking about. I was sitting in the middle of a glade, the soft hues of the forest merging in a symphony of colours and tranquil peace. It was like one of those post-card pictures from the Sinnoh region, except not. There was a lake some distance away, the midday sunlight glancing off its surface, the water rippling and shining like quicksilver.

And in the center of this masterpiece was a small, wooden shrine, a faded sign next to it. I couldn't read what it said, and would have dismissed it as just another old shrine, except that I hadn't seen any similar shrines in Ilex Forest. This one stood out from the golds and reds of the forest, and it looked old- ancient, even. It would have looked almost creepy, except that there was like a gentle warmth in my mind everytime I looked at it, almost like Girafarig when it tried to comfort me oh-so-long-ago.

It took me a while to realize that the Trick Room had disappeared. The sky above had stopped shifting, and the dull humming that was in my ears had stopped completely. It was as if this glade was protected from the Trick Room- or was I even still in Ilex Forest?

"Wh-who are you?"

I let out a startled yelp when I heard someone speak. There was an old flicker of the thought, 'ghost' in my head, but when I turned, I saw a small girl, crouched in the shadows of the Shrine- not a ghost. Then again, I thought with a gulp, ghosts did like shrines...

"Sloooooooo." I shrieked again when I heard that sound, only to get an irritated glare by the little girl.

"Stop that," she said sternly. "You're scaring him."

"Him-?"

She pointed behind her, and in the depths of the shadows, I managed to make out the form of a familiar, dumpy-looking pokemon. A Slowpoke. Which meant-

"You're Kurt's grand-daughter, aren't you?" I asked, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

"Yes," she said seriously, her eyebrows furrowed in a frown. I was starting to see a family resemblance. "Who are you?"

"Um. My name is Dew. I came here looking for you."

"You're not a kidnapper, are you?" She glared at me threateningly, hugging her Slowpoke close. The pokemon looked unconcerned, as always.

"Huh?" What gave her that idea? I wondered. "No, no- your grandfather asked this old lady I know to find you because-" I paused, scratching my head. "You know, it's pretty complicated. Um. But I'm not here to kidnap you or anything!"

"But why would Grandpa send anyone out to find me?" she asked, her voice rising. I gulped- this little girl was scary. I had no qualms about the fact that she would willingly sic her Slowpoke on me. "He knows that Slowpoke and I always come to the Ilex Forest. And nobody attacks me because Slowpoke protects me! So-"

As quickly as I could, I tried to explain the situation. Thankfully, the little girl seemed to accept it, though she was still giving me that suspicious stare. I figured the situation could have been a lot worse.

But of course, fate always had a weird way of working. Just when you thought everything was going fine and dandy, something comes and turns the whole situation around. By the end of the day, I was starting to think that I really shouldn't have pushed my luck, because what happened next could only be described as a disaster.

* * *

Next: Dew encounters a legendary pokemon and almost gets killed for all her troubles, though neither event are particularly relevant to each other.

Also, does anyone know whether Kurt's grandaughter has a name or not? I'm pretty sure the game never mentioned one...


	14. A Glimpse of a Legend

**Warning: This chapter may contain vaguely unscientific events. Read at your peril.**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

A Glimpse of a Legend

Warren knew they were hopelessly lost.

It had to have been at least four hours, by his reckoning, and yet the sun never seemed to move from its spot in the sky. There was a dull humming sound that echoed in his ears, never too loud or too soft, and always at the edge of his conciousness. And Warren had always prided himself in having a good sense of direction- he had made it all the way from his hometown to Violet City without getting lost, ever- but now, here in this forest, there was a sense of disorientation that he was unfamiliar with; where north became south and east became west.

He knew there had to be other people in the forest, but all trace of their existence had seemingly been wiped from the face of the earth, leaving the Ilex Forest as pristine as an untouched sanctuary, filled only with pokemon and nothing else.

"How much longer do we have to walk? I mean, how hard is it to find one whimsy trainer anyways?"

He shot an irritated glance at Alex, whining just a few steps behind him. He hadn't forgiven the brute for all that had happened just a few hours ago, and yet, somehow, he had been roped into this whole quest to stop this mysterious psychic trainer (which _he _had been pursuing, make no doubt about that) and during that time, he had found that he had liked Alexander Farr less and less.

"Be patient, Alex." If Tony (What was his name, anyway?) felt likewise, he didn't show it. The young man was as patient as they came, and just as inscrutible. He had taken out a red device which Warren had easily identified as a pokedex, which just made him all the more mysterious; all the more dangerous. Pokedexes, after all, were rare devices given only to trainers from New Bark Town in Johto, usually those who had been trained by none other than the Pokemon Professors, so whoever he was, Tony was a lot more powerful than he let on.

And yet, despite his inferred power, Tony still had to lead them out of this particular mess. Hovering just a few paces in front of him was his Magnemite, who drifted aimlessly in one direction or another. Warren had never seen pokemon behave like this before, though from his guess, it was probably sending out electromagnetic signals out into the forest to try and plot out a direction towards the center of it.

Not that it seemed to be any use.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Warren knew it before he said it; felt the strangeness of the world around him deeply set into his bones. He was a person who had been born watching pokemon battles, and with pokemon battles came the many strategies to twist the battle to win the victory. And it was those strategies that he vaguely recalled now- feelings of the earth shifting under his feet, the trembling of the air as space distorted where it stood.

Tony nodded imperceptibly. "Something's interfering with Magnemite's electromagnetic waves. I can't figure out what it is though."

"Who cares," Alex snapped, his boredom giving away to irritation. "Let's just plow through the whole thing. If we run in a straight line, we're sure to end up somewhere, eh?"

Tony sighed, a faint trace of a smile touching the edge of his lips. "It doesn't work that way, Alex. If I had to guess, we're being trapped by whoever set about manipulating the forest like this. We won't be able to pierce through this by sheer force."

"Then maybe I can be of assistance."

Warren prided himself in being a courageous boy. He had stood face-to-face with the largest of pokemon, walked the world with only his Venonat for company. Yet, the sound of that coolly calm, arrogant voice, seemingly from out of nowhere in the middle of a dense forest sliced away his courage like a sword striking through butter.

What he meant was, he screamed. Like a little girl.

Though, to be honest, Alex screamed too.

And when he was done screaming, he found himself face-to-face with a vaguely familiar old lady, slouching against a tree with a Mr Mime standing by her side. She didn't have her pipe with her, and it had been a week since he had last met her, but there was no mistaking that mildly amused expression, or the relaxed stance she took despite the danger around her.

"Mauve?"

"In the flesh. Looks like you kiddies seem a little too lost in this deep damp forest. Just what were you thinking you were up to, hm?"

Tony was the first to recover (or maybe he just wasn't that shocked at all; it was hard to tell from the way his facial expression never wavered). "We were thinking of getting to the center of the Ilex Forest. More than that, I cannot say."

Mauve chuckled, her gaze flicking straight towards Warren. "So you're still tracking that nefariously elusive trainer back from Violet, hm? You really shouldn't have dragged these two along."

"Not my idea," Warren muttered, suddenly feeling bashful under everyone's stares. "Besides, I can't just let this trainer do whatever he likes whenever he wants. Not after Violet."

There was more to it than that, but Mauve seemed to accept his explanation as it was. "Understood. Then why don't we help each other?" She patted her Mr Mime on his head. "I think I'm capable of finding a way through this maze, but I'll need your help-" she nodded towards Tony- "to actually find the weak spots of this damn place, to shatter it apart. Normally I would have no trouble trying to do this by myself, but the situation, unfortunately, has changed."

Warren felt a chill down his spine. Call it a premonition, call it a gut feeling, but he instantly knew what Mauve had meant. Never mind the whys or hows or when, but he knew that somehow, just somehow, the situation had changed for the worse.

His face must have shown more than he was willing to admit, because Mauve nodded after glancing at him. "You felt the wind shifting barely an hour ago, didn't you? That was when I realized that whoever is in charge of this Trick Room has had enough of playing around. They're going in for the kill- after the Ilex Shrine."

"And, I fear, that dear little Budew might already be there."

* * *

Its presence was announced by a howl of wind- harsh and cold, unlike the gentle chill that the autumn breeze usually inspired. It appeared in a flash of an instant, even before we had time to react to the knowledge that something was coming, landing gently on the very surface of the lake, its paws barely causing a ripple in the water.

No words could have described its magnificence- it was sleek and crystal blue, with splotches of white mixed in its fur. A giant crystal sat upon its forehead, and a purple cloak seemed to erupt from its back. Surrounding it were what seemed to be white ribbons, giving this creature a sense of elegance and power. But what caught my attention was its eyes- they were harsh and cold, and they were directed right at us.

"Get behind me," I told the little girl and her Slowpoke. No matter what it was, I could sense its intent- it wasn't happy at us, for whatever reason.

"It's Suicune!" the little girl gasped, tugging at a corner of my trousers. Unfortunately, she hadn't caught on to that yet- there was a great big smile on her face and she waved towards the creature. "Suicune- hi!"

Suicune- I vaguely recalled that name, but I couldn't quite remember what it was. A legendary pokemon? I wondered. The possibility was there- there was no way that something as extraodinary as this was just a normal pokemon. Still, what was a legendary pokemon doing here, now? Surely it wasn't here to look at falling autumn leaves.

It eyed us warily, having scarcely budged from the lake. Did it think we were going to attack it or something? Or was it just wondering how long it'd take for searchers to find our bodies? I rested one hand on my pokeballs- I had no idea what it wanted, but if it was going to attack-

It growled, and when it did, the voice was cold and light all at once, and though soft, I though I heard it echo amidst the trees. I felt my heart sink as I realized that it might be a lot more powerful than anything I had ever faced before. There was no telling what kind of destruction it could unleash, if it was a legendary pokemon- I had barely managed to fight off an Onix and Zubats, I couldn't handle a legendary pokemon of Suicune's caliber! Unintentionally, my grip tightened on Girafarig's pokeball.

Kurt's grand-daughter, however, had none of my qualms. She stepped out from behind me, one hand on her Slowpoke's back, taking me by surprise before I could pull her away from the unknown pokemon. Luckily, the Suicune- if that was what it was- didn't even flinch from her movement. Perhaps it didn't see her as a threat.

"Sloooow."

And then her Slowpoke waddled in front of us; the first sign of action I had seen the lazy pokemon do. It yawned loudly, its tail waving slowly in the breeze. It was communicating with Suicune, I realized.

Almost immediately, Suicune's body language relaxed. It walked towards us, and while there was a fair bit of caution in its eyes, it didn't seem as wary as before. Did the Slowpoke say that we weren't threats? I couldn't tell. But as I stared at the pokemon face-to-face, I was thankful that Suicune was willing to listen to whatever Slowpoke said, very thankful indeed.

Suicune stared at me for a moment, then let out a low snort, sending shivers down my spine, before turning to face the shrine. Its body shimmered as it moved, light glancing off its silken fur like on water. I wanted to reach out and touch it, but I wondered whether that would make the legendary pokemon mad. I _really _didn't want to face an angry legendary pokemon.

It seemed the little girl shared my hesitation. She reached out to touch one of Suicune's hind legs as it moved past, only to stop at the last second, hiding behind me. Suicune must have looked a lot more intimidating to her when it was just a few centimeters away. I pet her hand lightly- I understood how she felt.

Suicune stopped at the steps, its fluttering tails the only sign of movement as it paused, staring at the wooden structure, as if it could peer beyond its doors and see what lay inside. Did it come here to pay its respects to the shrine god? Somehow, I doubted that. There was a tension in its muscles that betrayed its outwardly calm apperance. Something was up. But- what?

And then it lifted its head up, a multi-colored laser shooting out from its jaws. The wind suddenly picked up, whipping around us. I pulled the little girl close, half in fear for her safety, half in fear for mine. The shrine, the target of Suicune's attack, was soon covered in layer upon layer of frost, forming around the area of impact of that laser beam. No, more than that, I realized. Tiny ice crystals seem to crawl out from the inside across the wooden planks- Suicune was freezing it both inside and out.

"Suicune, stop!" I yelled, remembering the sense of warmth I felt from that shrine. Something important must have been in there. Was Suicune trying to destroy it?

The pokemon paid me no heed, focusing intently on freezing the shrine to bits. My hand tensed on Girafarig's pokeball, but I didn't throw it. The power Suicune was showing... there was no way we could stop it. All I could do was watch helplessly as the shrine froze over, my other hand clamped tightly around the little girl's. We were both stunned speechless by what we were witnessing. A part of me- the logical one- said we should take this chance to escape, but I couldn't tear my eyes off from the scene, and my feet felt frozen to the earth.

Once it was satisfied that the shrine was thoroughly frozen, Suicune leapt up into the air, coming down in an aerobatic tackle, its front paws crushing the roof of the shrine, channeling the full weight of its body. There was no other way to describe what I saw next other than simply saying that the shrine... shattered. Wood, frozen to the point that it was brittle, snapped from the force of Suicune's attack, scattering the glade with shards of icy shrapnel. We had to duck for cover, hiding behind the meagre area afforded us by my bagpack to avoid the splinters that was sent flying into the air.

I winced as the shards hit my bagpack, and the sound of it made me imagine my bagpack looking a bit like a pincushion. Luckily, the little girl was unharmed, having sandwiched herself between my bagpack and myself. Her Slowpoke, having simply lain low on the grass, surprisingly wasn't injured as well. I, myself, was no worse for the wear, though I think that maybe some of the shards found their way into my hair. One thing was sure- I was going to take a nice, long bath, followed by a long time with a comb once this was over.

After a moment, there was silence. Peering over the edge of the bagpack, I expected to see Suicune still standing there. Instead, all I saw was the remains of the wooden shrine, planks strewn about the forest floor. One of them, part of the torn sign, was right at my feet, staring up at my face with a barely visible "C" painted on it. The forest was silent, and the chill wind was gone. Suicune had already left.

There was a moment of silence as I took in what had just happened. It was so quick- I wasn't quite sure if what I saw wasn't jus an illusion; a dream. But the proof was there- the shrine lay shattered before us, wood shards scattered all around, but there was no trace of Suicune. I felt saddened by its departure, for some reason. There was a sense of tranquility and peace that had followed Suicune when it came, and fled when it left. And now, suddenly, the glade felt so empty and eerily haunting, now that both the shrine and the pokemon that destroyed it were gone.

And then all of a sudden, I felt my stomach lurch as a familiar humming sound echoed in my ear. Instinct made me look up, and I saw no longer the afternoon sky stretching overhead, but a dusk settling over the forest. Stars were already visible even through the trees, and I could make out the silver sliver of the moon shimmering far off in a distance. I glanced around- the lake was gone, replaced with a path, shifting unsteadily at a distance, and trees that bent in precarious angles that would have normally shattered them. If I paid attention, I could see violet streaks of light dancing out of the corner of my eye, like some ghostly haunting beckoning me towards the distance.

But this wasn't a haunting. I was sure of it. After all, I had seen something just like this.

"Wh-what's happening?" the little girl asked me.

I gulped. "Trick Room."

I heard a shifting in the trees, the sound of footsteps on the trail. Warren's words- the ones saying that someone powerful was going after Celebi- suddenly sprung into the foremost of my mind. The re-appearance of the Trick Room could mean only one thing. And I wasn't about to stay and find out who was it that managed to pass through the Trick Room to get to the glade.

Quickly, I grabbed the hand of the little girl and tugged her towards where I had first appeared- where I hoped the exit would still be. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

"Wait, Slowpoke!" She tugged against my pull, and I saw her Slowpoke dragging behind. Its limbs were way too short to keep up with our pace, and it was lagging behind.

"Leave it," I said, biting back my resentment. It was the Slowpoke's fault that we were here in the first place- they were the ones that had alerted the townsfolk to the disturbances. Besides, it was just a normal pokemon- surely nobody would pay it too much heed. After all, Azalea was crawling with them, wasn't it?

"Slooooow," it moaned, as if pleading for us to wait.

"Ms Dew! Slowpoke-"

"It'll be fine! It knows the way home, right?"

The girl looked as though someone had slapped her. Immediately, I realized my mistake. "Look, we have to go-"

"I'm not going without Slowpoke!" Her lower lip quivered. "He's my best friend. I'm not leaving without him!"

I shot my best glare at her. "There's someone bad coming. He'll probably leave Slowpoke alone, but if he sees us here, we're going to be badly hurt." I tried to catch her gaze. "_Badly _hurt."

"And if he doesn't? What if he hurts Slowpoke too?"

I had no answer to that. I felt like telling her that our lives should have been more important than that of a pokemon, but despite the words being on the tip of my tongue, by then my conflicting emotions had already caught up with me. Part of me felt some sort of loyalty towards the Slowpoke for speaking on our behalf to Suicune, but the other part, the scared part, told me to forget both of them and just run.

And then I remembered how it was when Alex pushed my pokemon- that surge of protectiveness towards my battle partners. The little girl had lived with Slowpokes all her life; it was natural that she would feel a similar feeling towards them. I couldn't blame her for wanting to protect her Slowpoke, enough to push aside her own well-being for it's sake.

"What the- Hey!"

Somehow, while I was sorting out my own inner thoughts, the little girl pulled her hand out of my grasp and ran back towards the glade- towards her Slowpoke, and towards danger. I knew right then that if I turned tail and ran now, if I fled from danger, I would never be able to live with myself.

I muttered a curse to the heavens, slightly thankful that Dad wasn't around to hear me use such vulgar words, then I sprang right back after her.

"We're not leaving Slowpoke behind!" she said, glaring at me accusingly as she attempted to pick up the pink pokemon. Did she expect me to haul her back with me?

"No, we're not," I agreed, slinging my arm around the front of the pokemon. "You take its back, I'll take the front. Then we run."

Surprise was written all over her face, but she gave me a faint nod before following my instructions. To be honest, I had no idea that the Slowpoke was that heavy- it weighed almost twice the weight of my bagpack, and it took a lot of strength for me to even lift it- let alone run carrying it. Still, I couldn't let them down now. Not when the rustling was so close. But even then, I knew it was too late. We would never make it in time.

We made it about two-thirds out of the glade when the rustling stopped.

"My, my, what have we here?"

I motioned the girl to stop and lowered Slowpoke to the ground before turning to face the speaker. Even before then, I could hear the frost in the voice, the relaxed calm and the subtle undercurrent of danger. But when I saw who it was that spoke, I knew we were way in over our heads.

The speaker was a young woman, about twice my age, with silver-blue hair framing steel gray eyes. She wore a pure white labcoat that fell to her knees, with boots underneath. Pokeballs sat on her belt, and a pokemon- a green bird with white wings tipped red and black- stood by her side. Even without speaking, I knew she was the one who created the Trick Room. There was too much power in her bearing, too much confidence, for me to mistake otherwise.

"Take Slowpoke and go," I told my companion. No matter what, I told myself, I wasn't going to let them come to harm. Not while I had a choice in the matter.

"What about you?" the little girl asked, her brow furrowed as she glanced between myself and the newcomer. She shrunk back when the lady smirked in her direction- even she knew that this woman was trouble.

I loosened my stance, though I knew that nothing could stop my knees from shaking. I tried to copy Warren's easy confidence as he handled his pokemon, always assured and strong. I wasn't about to be weak in front of a complete stranger! Girafarig's pokeball, sitting comfortably in my hand, was cool and calming, and I tried to swallow my fear.

"Just go," I said quietly, hoping that she wouldn't call on that quiver in my voice. I had a feeling she knew what I knew- that I was scared senseless at the thought of this woman. But luckily, with a last, hesitant nod, she turned and ran, her Slowpoke trotting to keep up after her.

I turned my attention to the woman. She walked with an easy confidence that came from days of hard training, almost like Mauve. But there was that slight tilt of her chin as she studied the glade, that arrogance and pride that gave me pause. And her eyes- so cold, and dark, all at once; eyes which had seen terrible things. I wondered, briefly, whether this was the person that Warren was trying to find, whether she was the one that trained that Alakazam which had led the attack on Violet City. Whether she was the person who had cost me my family.

I had a bad feeling that I was right.

"Some fight." The woman was studying the ruins of the shrine. "Frozen stiff, then shattered. Ice attack. Powerful enough to freeze the whole shrine in mere seconds- the shattering of the wood states that much." She turned to me, a smirk tugging on the corners of her lips. "Your doing?"

I shook my head, trying not to remember the Alakazam and the Sprout Tower. If she was the Alakazam's trainer, she must have had considerable power to train the powerful pokemon; maybe more, considering the level of strength that it had. Against such a power, what could I, alone, do?

"It wasn't me," I said hoarsely. For some reason, my voice refused to work.

"I don't see anyone else here, do you?" She gestured around the glade, then turned back to me. Her eyes were cold, so much so that I felt that they could strip past my skin and peer straight into my soul. "Still. Do you know what you've done?"

I shook my head again, my heart sinking when I realized she wasn't going to buy my excuse. My hands felt sweaty, and Girafarig's pokeball was the only thing that stopped me from crying right then and there. Where was Warren, darn it all? Where were Alex and Tony? Where was Mauve, or the Gym Leader, or all the other trainers, or- I don't know!- Suicune? Where was everyone else? The girl had already fled, and the glade was empty- save for the two of us.

She crushed a piece of wood under her foot, her smirk gone. "You've destroyed the door between our world and the dimension Celebi resides in. You've essentially gotten rid of my prey. My target. A legendary pokemon, with power incomprehensible to mere humans at the tip of my hand! Do you understand that?"

I shook my head, unable to do anything else. "I don't know what you're talking about! It wasn't me who destroyed the shrine- I'm just a newbie trainer! I wouldn't know anything about Celebi or- or-"

"And yet you knew I was coming, and you were scared of it." She tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I don't even know who you are!"

She paused, as if mulling over something serious. "You may call me Esper," she finally said, petting the beak of her pokemon. "Though, to be honest, I don't think it quite matters who I am, when I'm done with you."

I gulped, involuntarily taking a step back. Despite my best efforts, I could feel my knees shaking; no, even more than that, my shoulders- my whole body- shook from fear. I knew instinctively what was coming up next, like a cornered animal knowing that it was about to die.

"You know, this is the first time we've met face-to-face, and already I feel as though I've known you for a long time." She paused in her step, a coy smile on her face as she studied me. "Violet City, yes?"

"Look- I don't know what you want-"

"I've been following your actions for quite some time. You remember Union Cave, don't you? Pity the two of you didn't die then."

Something clicked in my mind, and I suddenly found myself breathless. I was hoping that my suspicion was wrong. "It was you? The attack-"

Esper snorted, studying her fingernails. "Of course it was me. I wasn't about to let the kids who took my Alakazam away from me just waltz away unharmed, especially when they insisted on poking their noses in places that aren't meant to be poked. I know the other two are wandering around here somewhere too- the kid and the old lady. Though I'm surprised I caught you here alone, but I'm not complaining. Isolate the prey, then kill. It's one of those time-tested tactics; incredibly effective in eliminating weakened prey."

I gulped. "But that trainer, the one that escaped the forest-"

"Also my doing, yes," Esper smirked at my horror. "The only reason why I didn't end his miserable life is because I promised not to kill anyone unneccessarily, so I just... toyed with their minds a bit. Messed them up. They should have heeded the warnings the Slowpokes were giving them to stay out of the forest, but I suppose curiousity is a natural trait for a trainer. They were lucky that I had other things to bother myself with- but of course, you, on the other hand-"

She smirked, a dreadful expression that seemed to drop the entire atmosphere two or three degrees. "You're going to pay for all the inconvinience you've caused me. All of you will. But you- especially- for somehow managing to weasel your way out of my trap and now, Celebi-"

"Ca-can't we just talk about this?"

"Nope, sorry." She shrugged. "I've made up my mind. Consider this payback. Xatu. Attack."

The next thing I knew, there was a flurry of motion- I panicked, snatching a pokeball, but it fell out between my fingers and rolled off somewhere and then suddenly there was green, and yellow zooming towards me, feathers flying everywhere, chaos tumbling all around me, and a sudden burst of pain in my right shoulder, followed by my other shoulder and then there was something warm on my skin, warm and wet and- I was screaming, and I was crouched on the grass, and I was _afraid_.

And then suddenly, there was a loud roar, and suddenly the pain dimmed and the pecking stopped, the feathers ceased to fall, and my vision cleared enough for me to see the Xatu off in a distance, glaring angrily at something.

I felt warm blood streaming from a wound on my shoulder and bit back my fear. This wasn't the time to cry or panic, I told myself. I quickly assessed my situation: in my panic, I had fallen to the ground, and my shoulders had been hit by the Xatu's beak- probably bruised, though one was bleeding. There was no mistaking Esper's intent- she was out to kill me. I was wounded, I was being targetted by a powerful trainer with a Xatu (a psychic type, most likely) and I was alone.

No. Wait. Was I? My mind was in a daze, but something must have driven the Xatu back to its trainer. I remembered a rush of grey, a roar that shook the foundations of the very earth, and the wind whistling by as something fast zoomed past.

I looked at my saviour, hoping that it was Mauve or Warren or someone else that could handle this fight, but what I saw quickly drained what little hope I had left.

Because standing just a few feet away from me, poised like an Arbok ready to strike, was none other than my very own and very un-trained Onix, roaring into the canopy with fury blazing in its eyes.

* * *

Next: Dew puts her skills to the test, and Girafarig pulls another surprise out of its metaphorical bag.


	15. In the Shadow of the Trees

As I have stated before, I have no intents on stopping this story before it's finished, and currently am aiming for a maybe... 50-60 chapter story? And though it's really, really awesome to get reviews, I won't stop if I don't get any either, really. This whole thing is more like just trying to play with a plot idea that I wanted to develop for a while, and for practicing my now sadly deteriorating English skillz, and for maybe trying to put my understanding of what I learned of story structure to the test. But on a less serious note... I... I have people actually reading this. Oh wow. Um, I think I'm at least ten chapters too slow to actually pick that up, but... yeah. Lemme just sit down for now, but I give my thanks to everyone who was kind enough to review and/or leave concrit.

So, commentary for this chapter: I kinda like battle scenes, but then I kinda don't, since they seem to take up like 4,000 words just for the fighting alone. Oh well. For the Epicz!

* * *

**Chapter 14**

In the Shadow of the Trees

A low rumble echoed throughout the glade as Onix slithered in front of me, directly facing the Xatu. From my position on the ground, it looked enormously huge, and though there was only moonlight to see by, I remember thinking that it looked a lot larger than it did back in the Union Cave.

"You're gonna fight?" Esper was smiling, unperturbed by Onix's appearance. Then again, she had every right to be- I was just a newbie, with an un-trained Onix, while she had a high-level Xatu and several other powerful pokemon sitting on her belt.

I hesitated. Warm blood continued to seep between my fingertips as I attempted to apply pressure on the wound the Xatu inflicted on me, but failed. I knew that I wouldn't last long if the Xatu managed to get me alone. The only thing standing in between me and death was an Onix- literally and figuratively- and I wondered whether I could really trust Onix to battle. After all, the last time it had laid its eyes on me, I had been dinner, not its master.

Onix rumbled, its tail twitching restlessly. Its head swivelled between myself and the Xatu, as if wondering which one of us was going to be more filling for dinner.

And then, as expected, it lunged towards me, roaring with fury as it did so.

I jumped to the side, avoiding the giant rock snake, but lost my balance at the last minute, crashing into the forest floor. When I looked up, Onix towered over me, eyeing me with something akin to hunger. I was in the middle of a forest, getting attacked by a mad woman and her Xatu while my own Onix was about to devour me for dinner, and in the midst of all of this, the only thing that my mind seemed to register (apart from the pure absolute fear coursing through my veins) was: "_I really should have fed it more._"

Luckily enough for me, my enemy wasn't about to have her prey taken down so easily. "Hey, hey, what's this?" Esper called. "You're supposed to die from my hand, not some weak rock pokemon- Xatu, get the intruder out of the way!"

There was the sound of feathers flapping in the wind, and suddenly, Xatu appeared in my line of sight, knocking the Onix back a few feet. Caught by surprise, the rock pokemon roared and was forced away from me- which left me very close to a Xatu that wanted to kill me. I saw Onix roar in confusion as the Xatu sprung into an attack, its eyes hard and dark- it was going to kill my Onix if it had a chance, and I knew that the rock pokemon knew it too from the way it was trying its best to avoid the psychic bird. But it was disoriented, and rage was clouding its judgement. And even I could see that the power difference was too great for Onix to win this on its own.

"Better the devil you know," I muttered. Seizing the chance, I yelled, "Onix, Rock Throw!" Warren had ensured that I thoroughly memorized the first few moves that my pokemon would know, and I was going to put my knowledge to the ultimate test.

Onix roared, and either out of surprise for the sudden command or because it decided that the enemy of its enemy was its friend, it charged towards the Xatu at such a speed that I was certain there would be smoke trails left in its wake. It was absurdly fast, and before Xatu or Esper could even begin to counterattack, Onix lifted its tail and sent it smashing down towards Xatu's head. There were no rocks in the forest, so Onix made do with the next best thing- itself.

"Block with Steel Wing, Xatu!"

It reacted just in the nick of time, bringing its white wings up to block Onix's tail smash. I thought it was strange at first to block a rampaging Onix with wings, only to realize that, somehow, Xatu's wings had turned to steel. There was a moment of pause, and then the Xatu simply pushed Onix away, sending the giant pokemon toppling back towards me. I barely dodged being squashed flat by my own Onix.

Needless to say, Onix wasn't pleased. While it had taken a significant blow from that last attack, it still seemed capable of fighting. Roaring, it rose to its full height, towering over the Xatu and myself, full of rage. But I could see that the difference in strength was too much- Onix looked winded, while the Xatu looked only irritated at best. Also, although we held the type advantage, Steel Wing had done devastating damage- I could see long tears running along the length of Onix's rock skin where the attack had struck. If Onix took another hit like that, it was a goner.

I hesitated. Should I send out another pokemon to support Onix? One on one, there was no way we could match up to the Xatu. Esper knew that- she was watching us with a coy little smile, though her relaxed stance had slipped. We could win, I knew it, but only if Onix survived.

What the hell, I thought. Pokemon League rules didn't count when you were fighting for your life.

"Girafarig, go!"

Onix looked slightly startled when it saw Girafarig appear next to it; it almost fell over itself when the bright light flashed in front of it. It took a moment or two to recover from its shock, but a quick glance from Girafarig brought it back to attention. There must have been an exchange of some sort, because Onix decided that Girafarig was its ally, not its enemy, and concentrated its attention on the Xatu once again.

I saw the psychic pokemon glance at me out of the corner of its eye, and suddenly there was a cool sensation blanketing my mind and I knew that it was trying to pick up cues as to what was going on. It lasted less than a split second, and then the feeling disappeared, though oddly enough, the pain from my shoulder wound had disappeared with it.

"Thanks, Girafarig."

There was a nod, then the psychic pokemon stomped the ground, sliding into battle stance as it studied Esper and Xatu.

The woman, for her part, looked surprised by Girafarig's appearance, but her smile came back almost all too quickly. "Two on one, eh?" she said. "Well, alright. Let's see what you can do, little girl."

I grit my teeth. I was really getting sick of being underestimated. "Onix, Rock Throw!"

"Same trick again?" Esper gave a mock sigh. "Well, alright. Xatu- Steel Wing!"

Onix roared, lunging once again towards Esper's Xatu. As expected, the Xatu's wings began taking on a silvery glow, and it stood poised to strike back. I watched the bird carefully, knowing that if I timed my next command wrong, the whole plan would fall apart.

And then, Onix slammed its tail at the Xatu's head, the only thing stopping its descent being Xatu's wings. I saw the bird's muscles tense, I saw it prepare to counterattack with its wings-

"Onix, back off! Girafarig, Reflect!"

Onix withdrew so quickly I had trouble keeping my eyes on it, but I saw the bright blue barrier springing in between Xatu and Onix just as the bird attacked, shattering the shield but missing the pokemon entirely. It squawked in surprise, caught off-guard by the attack, and I seized my chance.

"Bind, and Stomp!"

My pokemon moved much quicker than I expected them to- a side effect of the Trick Room, I wondered? Nevertheless, even before it knew what was happening, Onix had slithered itself around the bird, pinning its wings to its sides as it forced the bird onto the ground, where Girafarig's hooves made quick work of the pokemon. I flinched as the Xatu took a hit to its head, knocking it out cold, but I reminded myself that it was ready and willing to kill me had the chance arose. That squashed most of the guilt I felt.

There was a slow clapping. Esper, seated on a nearby boulder, didn't seem concerned at all that we had taken her pokemon down. True, there was a tinge of regret in her smile, but her eyes were shining were amusement. Without saying a word, she withdrew her Xatu, her dark eyes staring at me again.

"Well done," she said. "Using my own Trick Room against me- I gotta say, even though I expected it, I didn't think you would be that smart or daring to use both your pokemon like that. The Pokemon League could disqualify you for ganging up on me, you know."

"You're the one who was going to kill me," I retorted, still pressing against my wound- the pain had stopped, but the bleeding was still there. "Besides, you're not a League-certified trainer... are you?"

Her laughter was cold and cutting, almost like winter frost. At the sound of it, Girafarig and Onix took their positions in front of me, blocking me from her view. They were playing defensive, probably waiting for her to make the next move. I could feel the tension in the air- Esper's next move could shatter it entirely.

Once her laughter died down, she shrugged. "Doesn't matter." She sighed, stretching her arms as she sauntered around the glade, walking towards the shattered shrine. "You know, it's probably my fault for underestimating a newbie, especially one under Madam Astrine's wing. Carelessness on my part, really."

"So are you leaving?"

"So eager to get rid of me, huh." She tilted her head in my direction, her gaze hidden by her bangs. "Sorry, kiddo. I've been holding back all this while. Trick Room's not gonna last much longer, since you took my Xatu out, but it's more than enough time for me to get rid of you."

My eyes saw her move, and my brain screamed at my limbs to react, but she moved so fast, withdrawing a pokeball from the folds of her sleeve and releasing the pokemon in less than a split-second that I had scarcely opened my mouth to yell out a command when the attack hit.

It was not as powerful as the Alakazam's Psychic, but in our condition, it was like getting dumped into a hurricane right after fighting a tornado. The attack blasted us off our feet, and I saw Onix flying across my vision before slamming onto a tree, while Girafarig screeched- an unearthly sound that sent goosebumps down my arms- as it struggled against the wave of psychic energy. I was blown into the air, and there was a moment when I felt absolutely weightless, until gravity came back and brought me crashing back onto the ground.

In the silence that followed, I could only make out the rough thudding sound of Esper's heavy boots on the earthy soil.

"Man, that was almost anti-climatic." Esper paused. "Oh well."

I blinked my eyes, but the spots from that bright light just wouldn't clear. I could make out Esper's white labcoat as she came near me, saw something white moving behind her, floating almost like a ghost- I bit my lip as I tried to move, but only managed to shift my position back a few inches before I felt something heavy push against my torso, pinning me to the ground. I looked up, but all I could see was Esper's smiling, haunting face.

Warren, Mauve, I felt my mind screaming in fear. Someone, help! But Onix was knocked out cold, and I couldn't see where Girafarig was. My hands closed around the soft earth as I tried to search for a way out of this situation, but the heavy feel of Esper's boot was more than enough to render most of those solutions futile.

"Like a Magikarp out of water."

I reached for Mareep's pokeball, but then the heavy weight shifted, lifted off my torso and slammed onto my forearm instead. I bit back a cry of pain. Esper was like a cat, playing with her prey before the kill. Playing with me.

"You know, you were pretty amusing, but I don't think I ever caught your name."

"Like you care," I managed to spit out, only to be cut off by another spike of pain shooting through my forearm.

"Tut tut. Where are your manners? You know, you should be ashamed-"

A blast of energy caught her off-guard, sending her tumbling right over me. The pressure of her boot disappeared entirely, and I managed to drag myself up into a sitting position to assess the situation. Esper was lying a few feet away, coughing up bits of plant matter as she struggled to regain her composure. Her pokemon- a humanoid, white-dressed and green-haired pokemon- looked taken aback by the turn of events, and had no time to react when the next attack sent it flying off in Esper's direction.

Girafarig stood a few feet away, incensed, but otherwise unhurt. It trotted up to me, positioning itself in between myself and Esper, stomping its hooves threateningly on the ground.

"Girafarig?" I asked. I had never seen my pokemon mad before, but Esper's last attack must have enraged the normally mild-mannered pokemon, and it barely gave a glance in my direction before turning to face the other trainer.

"How-?" Esper seemed as confused as I was. After all, Girafarig had taken the full brunt of her previous attack, and yet here it was, back at full health and ready to fight.

Before I could ponder the situation any further, though, the eerie humming that had marked the presence of the Trick Room disappeared. Almost immediately, I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders, and the dimension reverted itself back to the view I had seen when Suicune attacked the shrine.

Esper must have noticed, because all pretense at calmness had evaporated from her. Her labcoat was covered with mud streaks, and her once-immaculate hair had dirt and twigs sticking onto it. But there was no mistaking her anger.

"Girafarig-" I began.

"Giii." The psychic horse snorted, stomping its hoof onto the ground as it waited for Esper to gain her footing. If it was afraid, it didn't show it. Even while it was angry, there was a sense of calm that it held, like a strategist or a veteran. And I knew that it was prepared for whatever Esper would throw at it. It was going to fight, without my command, if need be.

"Gardevoir, attack!" Esper yelled.

Her pokemon- the thing I mistook for a ghost- floated delicately towards Girafarig, electricity gathering around its spindly limbs. As it neared, it sent the lightning bolts flying towards the psychic horse, and even from a distance, I could feel them crackling with enough power to take out even a flock of Mareep. Yet Girafarig didn't even budge an inch. It paused for a moment as the thunderbolts neared, and I felt a faint pulse of energy emitted from it- so faint that if I wasn't standing nearby, I would never have felt it- before the thunderbolts hit against a quickly-erected shield of blue light which seemed almost ineffective in stopping them.

I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut, but I couldn't. Not when Girafarig was taking blow after blow in my name. Somehow, it managed to evade most of the Gardevoir's thunderbolts, but without the Trick Room, there was no way it could launch a counterattack fast enough. The Gardevoir's next attack sent Girafarig stumbling backwards, its fur coat burnt as it struggled to remain standing. It was only sheer will that stopped it from falling over right then and there.

"Finish it!" Esper commanded.

The Gardevoir giggled, presumably because it knew that the end had come for Girafarig and myself, and it released yet another onslaught of lightning bolts.

I stumbled, trying to find Girafarig's pokeball, but suddenly my hands were frozen, unable to move. When I looked up, I saw Girafarig glaring at me. It wasn't going to let me stop it from fighting. Not now.

Girafarig, against all common sense, ran straight towards the incoming thunderbolts, hit after hit glancing off its body. There was no way it could evade them, not at that distance. I couldn't move, so all I could do was watch in shocked horror as my starter ran directly at the Gardevoir in what appeared to be a self-destructive attack, hooves upraised as it stomped down on the other psychic pokemon.

The Gardevoir backed up, surprised that Girafarig had pulled off glancing blow, electricity sizzling in its hands as it studied the bruised and battered pokemon. Only a miracle could save my starter at this rate, and I felt myself hoping that Mauve or Warren would suddenly burst forth from the bushes.

A miracle happened- just not the one I was expecting. All of a sudden, a faint blue light encompassed Girafarig, healing its wounds. The pulse of energy accompanying it was similar to the one I had barely felt before- and I realized what I was looking at was Girafarig's attack- not one I had seen before, nor one that I was expecting.

But judging from Esper's expression, she did. "Wish," she gasped, barely audible. She looked shocked by the revelation, backing away further and further from the blue-glowing Girafarig. Almost immediately, the tension shifted, then shattered, and I could see a glimpse of fear and something else in Esper's eyes.

"Giira!" Girafarig neighed, daring the Gardevoir to attack again.

The Gardevoir hesitated, almost uncertain- what could you do when your opponent had the ability to heal its own wounds? But a quick command from Esper ended the stand-off.

"Gardevoir, we're leaving."

There was a moment in which the Gardevoir looked between its trainer and Girafarig, a moment in which Girafarig moved in to attack. A moment in which I felt the mood shift suddenly, when my worry for Girafarig dissipated as I realized our victory. The Gardevoir waved its hands before Girafarig could stop them, and a pulse of psychic energy erupted from the white-green psychic pokemon.

Esper shot me a look just then- a small, knowing smirk dancing on her lips. It lasted for less than a split-second, yet I saw that look, and realized that I had told her something _important_, something which I wasn't even aware of. And something deep within my thoughts shifted in fear, wondering just what it was that she realized; what it was that she could use against me.

A bright light filled the glade, and the next thing I knew, they were gone.

Girafarig was the first to recover, snorting in disgust as it stood where Esper and Gardevoir were just a moment before. It took a while before I felt its hold on me disappear, and I almost fell backwards from the sudden freedom of my limbs. I blinked, trying to process all that had just happened, but there were just way too many thoughts going through my head.

Girafarig had another attack. Girafarig had used its psychic powers on me to stop me from withdrawing it. Esper was the woman who was in charge of the Sprout Tower attack. She wanted to capture Celebi. She was driven off by my Girafarig. My Girafarig- who I knew so little about, who appeared out of nowhere, who was _angry _at the psychic pokemon trainer. Who had willingly used its powers on _me._

I found myself staring at Girafarig, well across the glade, and I found it staring back at me. Our standstill continued, half-formed thoughts and questions dancing through my head as I tried to read this enigmatic pokemon that I found in my possession- who would well and truly disobey me if it thought that I was wrong. Something passed between us just then, not an understanding, not a truce, but more like an unsaid question I had no response to, and all of a sudden, I felt as though I was staring at a stranger rather than my own pokemon.

And then a low rumble caught our attention, and the fleeting sensation passed as I tended to more important matters- matters which I could deal with, matters that did not involve psychic pokmeon who knew more than I myself did. Dealing with anything else but the questions in my head of whether I could really trust the pokemon who had been my companion for less than a month, a creature who could end my life with a thought, who was following me for its own unexplained purposes.

I found myself struggling to my Onix's side as it lay groaning at the base of a tree. It hardly looked like the big bad Onix that I had run away from back in the Union Cave- instead, what lay before me was a defeated warrior, a pokemon that had risked its life for mine. Forget the fact that it had tried to kill me earlier on (again), it was wounded, and I was the only one available to help. There were cracks running down its stone skin, and the deep gashes that the Xatu had inflicted on it were no doubt causing it pain. It was barely concious, and I realized too late that I had dropped its pokeball somewhere and that it wasn't on my belt any longer.

"Hang on," I told the rock pokemon as it watched me with its beady black eyes. It looked like it was about to pass out, and its body was thrashing about weakly in pain. I was about to reach into my bagpack for a potion when I found myself face-to-face with a sharp, pointed edge.

I looked up, and I noticed that the blade was attached to a green, bulky pokemon, standing next to a purple-haired youth (who looked ridiculously young- just a few years older than me) with a giant butterfly net in his hand. Behind him were a bunch of very angry looking villagers, some of them with axes in their hands. Girafarig had been cornered by two of them, and they were holding their axes against the psychic pokemon's neck. But really, the green bug-like pokemon with the blade pointed just a few centimeters from my nose was the one that caught most of my attention.

"It's a psychic pokemon, sir!" one of the villagers restraining Girafarig said. The psychic pokemon gave him a contemptuous snort, stomping its hooves on the dirt floor. It didn't look too pleased at our sudden ambush. I knew that it was capable of sending the villagers flying, but it probably knew that it would never make it to my side by the time the green-bug-blade-thing attacked me. For what it was worth, at least Girafarig still placed some importance on my safety.

"Good work!" the youth said, before leaning closer to study me. "Looks like we found ourselves our mystery intruder."

Oh no, I thought. They thought that I-

I glanced at the ruins of the forest shrine. A few of the villagers were standing around with dumbfounded looks on their faces, as if they were trying to figure out how it had gotten to its current condition. Still, they kept themselves a good few feet away, almost as if they were reverent, or afraid. The shrine obviously meant a lot more to them than it did to me- or Suicune.

"Hey," the youth called, snapping his fingers to attract my attention. It was incredible how someone so young and cute-looking could be so commanding when they were armed with a giant butterfly net. "There'll be plenty of time for you to think about your excuse for destroying the forest guardian's shrine later. But I've been wandering around this forest for hours on end, and I want answers. Any false moves and Scyther here will be all too willing to cut an inch off your nose."

I gulped. "Look, this is all just a big misunderstanding-"

He jerked his butterfly net towards Girafarig, now simmering with barely restrained rage. "That Girafarig is yours, isn't it?"

"Y-yes," I admitted. "But it wasn't us who destroyed the shrine!"

He arched an eyebrow. At the very least, he wasn't laughing at me outright. He sighed, running a hand through his purple hair. "Alright, then let's hear your explanation."

"C-can I tend to my Onix first?" I asked, glancing at the wounded rock pokemon. It groaned, barely audible, as it attempted to lift itself up from the ground. "It's badly hurt, and I can't find my pokeball-."

There was a moment of silence as we stared at each other- himself mulling over the risks of letting me do as I please, and myself hoping that he wouldn't be so heartless as to let my pokemon remain in pain.

"Sir!" One of the villagers standing a distance away from us picked and held up my pokeball, tossing it towards us. The youth caught it with his one free hand before handing it back to me, scorch marks and dirt caking the once pristine looking pokeball. It felt unfamiliar in my hand, and I blinked in confusion as I tried to figure out what I was supposed to do.

"Recall it into it's pokeball," he said finally. "It should be fine in there, for a while." The unsaid words- that he wasn't going to let a potential enemy heal their pokemon- hung in the air around us.

Reluctantly, I withdrew my wounded Onix, all too aware that if I didn't get it to a pokemon center soon, the damage could be permanent. Girafarig, still being held captive by the villagers, was too far for me to call back with its pokeball, and I still had that giant blade pointed in my direction. _Any false moves_, he had said. I was all too aware of the fact that the Scyther still had an arm pointed in my direction.

"So," the youth said, eyeing me cautiously, "Mind telling me your name and why you're here?"

"Dew- Budew- Eldridge," I answered quietly. "I came here to find my friends." Somehow, the whole story- that I had followed Mauve here to stop the psychic trainer who was behind the pokemon attacks- seemed too implausible outright for anyone to believe.

"I told the chief to block the forest," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples. It was odd, I thought. He looked so young, but the way he held himself was almost with the same authority Dad had, that same no-nonsense, leader-ish look.

"I-I came here with an old lady named Mauve," I said hurriedly. "The guards let us through after we talked to them-"

He snorted disbelievingly. "Mauve Astrine retired years ago," he said flatly, and I sensed my chance slipping away. "And she lives in Olivine. There's no reason for her to be in Azalea-"

"But!" I shot back, knowing it was rude to interrupt but realizing that there wasn't much of a choice if I wanted to prove my innocence, "She said she came here directly after sensing psychic activity in the area, and then there was the Trick Room and the Slowpokes, and I helped her kinda in the Sprout Tower and this old man- Kurt- asked us to find his grand-daughter so we came and then we were seperated and then Suicune destroyed the shrine and-"

I coughed, possibly from the breathlessness that followed after my rushed sentance. I saw a few villagers glance in my direction, and Girafarig was watching me with an alert gaze, probably in case I choked myself to death. Awkwardly, the youth exchanged a glance with his Scyther before squatting down to my eye-level.

"You mind repeating that again?" he asked, more gently this time.

I drew in a deep breath, forcing myself to meet his gaze. I spoke slowly but clearly, not wanting to risk another coughing episode again. "Suicune destroyed the forest shrine. And then after that a psychic pokemon trainer named Esper attacked me."

"And where's Suicune now?"

"He- he left. The girl I was sent to find- Kurt's grand-daughter- she should have seen it. We were together. I told her to run when Esper came. She's the one in charge of the Trick Room." I swallowed. "I fought her, though she fled when the Trick Room fell. My Onix was hurt in the battle."

He sighed heavily. "You know, I really do want to believe you," he said. "I really doubt a kid like you could have done so much damage- intentional or otherwise. But with pokemon trainers, you can't really tell. And this whole story about Suicune and extremely powerful trainers running amok in our forest-"

"But the girl-"

"We haven't found her yet," the youth admitted hesitantly. I felt bile rising in my throat. Could Esper have caught up to her and killed her? With psychic pokemon, it wouldn't take too long for her to track her down and finish her off- Slowpoke wouldn't be much protection against someone like Esper.

And then suddenly, just as my doubts appeared, fate decided to give me a break.

"Ms Dew! Bugsy!" I glanced up, and there she was- Kurt's grand-daughter, waving at me as she ran towards the search party, her Slowpoke waddling two or three paces behind her.

"Maisy?" the youth breathed, forgetting me for a second as the girl- Maisy- came bounding up, tackling him with a giant hug.

I blinked. That was unexpected. How had she found her way back here? Hadn't I told her to run? Shouldn't she be back at home-

"Well, isn't this a wonderful gathering, dears?"

And there, standing under the shadows of some trees in the direction from where Maisy came from was a group consisting of a resigned looking Warren, a confused Alex, a perfectly expressionless Tony, and headed by none other than a familiar, pipe-puffing old dame.

"Mauve," I gasped, scrambling to my feet, forgetting the threat of the Scyther's blade entirely. Likewise, the youth pried Maisy off his shirt as he stood to survey the newcomers. Scyther, for its part, looked confused when I disobeyed its trainer's orders, and even more confused when its trainer didn't do a thing to stop me.

"Aren't you supposed to be back in Olivine?" the youth asked Mauve in an irritated tone.

"Pfft. I couldn't leave all the fun to you now, could I, dear boy?" Mauve arched an eyebrow. "And look what I found! A trio of rumbunctious trainers who had the same intent as I did, setting off all on their lonesome to help the esteemed Gym Leader of Azalea Town!" Her grin grew larger as she surveyed the two of us for a moment.

"Now, Bugsy dear, why don't you call off your Scyther before it accidentally cuts that poor girl behind you, hmm?"

* * *

Next: Another unexpected surprise, an angry argument, and Dew reflecting on the past week.


	16. Introspection

... I really hate this chapter. Probably because it's the denouement from the last chapter, and Budew talks to herself. A lot. Which, from what I hear, generally makes the audience want to fall asleep. But in order to continue, there must be a decision made by the main character which sets her course for the next 2/5ths of the story, or so that plot development power point said. Ah well, I did my best, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out (after five different revisions, I might add). All in all, if you can't stand boredom, just wait for the next chapter. Or the chapter after that. It has moar fight scenez.

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Introspection**

Things moved quickly after that. Mauve and Bugsy- whom I later realized was the Gym Leader everyone was talking about- quickly sorted out the question of my innocence (with the old lady staunchly defending my actions; though the question of what I actually saw in the Shrine still remained a subject of much contention) and soon the whole party was out of the Ilex Forest and back in Azalea. Amazingly enough, the Slowpokes that were blocking our way originally had dispersed as soon as the Trick Room fell, according to one of the guardsmen, and all the missing people were safe and had been accounted for.

"Mauve found us wandering the forest," Warren said as we trailed behind the party after dumping Maisy off at Kurt's. He grinned sheepishly. "Kinda embarrassing, really. We didn't see anything, and for all we know, we were just walking around in circles. It felt like we were trapped there for hours, and then suddenly the old lady pops out in the middle of nowhere. Gave Alex a shock of his life, to be sure."

"Hey!" Alex, some distance ahead of us, somehow managed to catch that last bit of Warren's sentance. He was quickly shushed by Tony, though I could hear some muted grumbling coming from his direction. Warren and I exchanged a glance, and suddenly we were overcome by a fit of laughter. Needless to say, I saw a few angry glares directed at us, but we didn't really care too much.

After we stiffled our giggles, Warren was the first to speak. "How did you end up in the forest?" he asked. "I thought you said that you were going to stay at the Pokemon Center."

"Mauve dragged me along," I responded, grimacing at the memory. "You know, I'm thinking that maybe that wasn't the best decision I could've made."

"Did you really see Suicune?"

"I- I dunno. I guess?"

"You know, if it was a psychic trainer we're talking about, everything you saw could have just been an illusion." Warren sighed. "Man, I wish I was there. I mean, I'm the one that's actually supposed to talk to the legendary pokemon and whatnot. I bet I could tell whether it was real or not."

"I don't really think Suicune was in a talking mood, even if it was fake," I answered. "Besides, that'd be stupid. Why would Esper create a Suicune to destroy the Ilex Shrine then throw a fuss about it? I mean, she almost killed me, for Arceus's sake."

Warren's expression turned serious, and I could see a hint of worry in his eyes. "Your shoulder... is it alright?" he asked hesitantly.

I nodded, though I was touched by his concern. A villager, upon seeing my wound, had examined it and bandaged it up before we left the forest. He had told me that the wound itself was relatively easy to treat, but if it were just a few inches off, it could have hit an artery or something, and I would have bled to death even before the battle ended. It would hurt for a few days, he had said, but it should heal over in less than two weeks. I was lucky, I realized as I numbly massaged my sore shoulder. There was no question as to how badly Esper wanted to kill me- and she would have done so, had Onix and Girafarig not been able to take down her Xatu and scare her off.

Speaking of which- I glanced at Girafarig, trotting some distance behind us. Its expression was as calm as always, but I didn't need to be psychic to know that something was brewing inside its head. Ever since Bugsy had interrupted our staring contest earlier on, it had been aloof and distant, choosing not to do nor say anything much. That show of anger that Girafarig had when it fought Esper was out of character for it- and when it overrode my orders and used its psychic powers on me, I knew that something was terribly wrong. It was an unresolved issue which I had to address, but I definitely didn't want to have a confrontation with my starter, who had, up till now, been a reliable source of support.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there to help you."

I glanced up at Warren. I was amazed at how quickly his mood changed. He looked absolutely miserable, his hands in his pockets and his hat pulled down over his eyes. There was no familiar hint of laughter in his eyes, just a deep, quiet thoughtfulness that made his eyes seem all the wider.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, surprised at his train of thought.

Warren made a face, and although his voice was light, it wasn't enough to hide his feelings. "You know, when you fought that woman- Esper?" He sighed, slinging his head with his hands. "I kinda feel responsible, you know? If we didn't meet, back in Violet City, you wouldn't have had to fight her. If you didn't follow me, you might not even be in Azalea Town. And it was all because of my theories and my recklessness, running off into the forest- and then you followed because of us and-"

"Mauve was the one who dragged me there," I pointed out, trying to assure him. "And besides, if I didn't fight her, she would have killed Maisy and Slowpoke and then she would have gone after you and you would've been the one who got attacked."

Warren smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Maybe you're right," he conceded. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but shook his head, choosing to stare off into a distance instead.

We walked in an awkward silence for a moment, until Warren said something about asking Bugsy about pokemon, and quickened his pace to catch up to the bug pokemon trainer, leaving me alone.

I sighed, taking in the silence. The cool breeze brushed against my face and the stars were just emerging from the blanket of the deep blue sky. It felt nice- like I didn't have to think about my near-death battle, didn't have to think about Dad, about pokemon, about anything. And then, unbidden, a voice- an echo really- rang out in my ears, a faint whisper on the wind.

_"If it weren't for me, you would never have met Mauve either."_

The voice was Warren's, but when I looked, he was far ahead at the head of the column, talking to Bugsy. And when I thought about it, I realized that I didn't hear the sentance- not through my ears, at least. I had been around psychic pokemon enough to more or less understand what they were capable of, so the culprit wasn't that hard to find. I shot a glare at Girafarig.

It snorted, meeting my gaze unflinchingly. The rage that was in its eyes when it fought Esper was gone as it trotted behind me, matching my pace evenly. I wondered why it had let me hear that stray thought, why it had even bothered to read Warren's mind, but Girafarig's calm gaze had no forthcoming answers. And all the more, I wondered about this strange psychic pokemon which had appeared in my hands so suddenly one week ago and turned my whole life upside down.

* * *

We expected things to be easier once we reached the Pokemon Center. Honestly, after being trapped in a Trick Room for hours- or minutes, depending on how the dimensions decided to mess with your head- all I wanted to do was to just collapse in a soft spot and sleep my weariness away, probably due to the fact that I didn't even get that much sleep the night before in the first place. Luckily, after dropping Maisy off at Kurt's, it didn't take too long before we were standing under the entrance of the Pokemon Center. But of course, things rarely seemed to work out the way I hoped it would.

"Mr Bugsy!" the on-call nurse cried when we first entered, relief evident in her voice. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

"Alright?" Bugsy echoed. There were wet trails down her cheeks- like she had been crying. A small pile of crushed tissue paper sat in the nearby waste paper basket, a pile which I was positive wasn't there when I left.

"It's horrible!" the nurse blurted. "Goldenrod- the pokemon- Ah, I- I'm not making much sense, am I? Here-" Her lower lip was quivering as she picked up the remote and switched on the nearby television, hanging from the ceiling. It was small, and the sound system crackled each time someone spoke, but that really didn't matter when we saw what was on.

_"... And this is the scene from the National Park. At roughly 2 o'clock this afternoon, during the famous Bug Catching Contest, the pokemon in the park- most of which are hard to find in other parts of Johto and call this four-acre piece of land their home- suddenly swarmed out of the bushes and attacked anyone in sight. The Goldenrod Gym and the police responded as soon as possible, though it took them five hours of fighting off bug pokemon before the attacks stopped."_

Images of raging fires in the midst of a beautiful park square flashed on the screen. Pokemon- bug types, normal types, even some grass types- were rushing out of the bushes, getting tangled up in fights with surprised trainers and hard-pressed security wardens. Images of wounded pokemon, wounded humans, furious attackers and defenders alike, hours of long, hard battling passed before our eyes, condensed into a sequence of a few short minutes.

_"The investigations have just begun. Preliminary findings have stated that not only did the wild pokemon go rogue, but trainer pokemon in the vicinity also attacked their handlers as well. There is some speculation that this might be the work of the feared "Olivine Psychic", who attacked Olivine City three years ago and has subsequently led attacks every few months or so in various parts of Johto and Kanto. However, evidence is inconclusive, and the police have yet to release a statement. Several trainers and pokemon are severely injured..."_

I felt the pit of my stomach drop, and whatever exhaustion I felt was gone, replaced by a sense of dread. By my side, Warren was watching, open-mouthed in shock, with his hands falling limply by his side. The silence was almost unnerving- I snuck a quick peek at Bugsy and saw that the Gym Leader had an unreadable face on, his grip on the butterfly net so tight that I imagined that I could see the veins of his hands pop out from the restrained anger. The rest of our group were similarily stunned.

I heard the sound of clicking heels on smooth, tile floors, and when I turned to look, I managed to catch a glimpse of Mauve's cloak just as it disappeared between the closing electronic doors. I contemplated running after her, but when Bugsy clapped me on my shoulder, the grim look on his face was enough to give me pause.

"Leave her be," the Gym Leader said. "She's probably taking the news harder than the rest of us."

"She came here specifically to stop Esper," I muttered, letting my gaze drift back towards the television. "Was she wrong? Or did Esper manage to attack Goldenrod once she fled Ilex?"

Bugsy shrugged. "I don't know too much about these things," he admitted. "The Pokemon League doesn't really tell me much about their investigations, and for all we know, this 'Esper' of yours could just be a figment of your imagination. I'm not accusing you of lying-" he added quickly, seeing me about to protest, "- but there's just too many unknowns for this to make much sense. And Mauve, well- she's spent years of her life just tracking this person down."

"Why?" I was tired of not knowing anything about Mauve, about always doubting whether I could put my faith in the old lady.

The youth paused, his eyes flicking in between me and the television. Finally he sighed, and shifting his weight slightly, he said, "Mauve's husband was killed in the Olivine attack three years ago." He tried to smile, but failed. "She swore that she would avenge his death, no matter what."

I tried to say something, but what could anyone say to that? Bugsy seemed to understand, because he just gave me another small smile before thanking the nurse for the news and taking his leave. Naturally, his entourage, upon noticing that their leader was going, followed, leaving us four rookie trainers as the only people left in the Pokemon Center's waiting room.

"Would you like me to heal your pokemon for you?" the nurse asked us politely. She had calmed down somewhat, but there was a heavy sense of moroseness hanging over her.

"Thank you," Warren said, handing her his pokeballs before patting her hand. "I'm sure that the Pokemon League will get to the bottom of this."

The nurse gave him a small smile in reply before she collected all of our pokeballs and disappeared through a door behind the helpdesk. Effectively, an awkward silence soon fell over the four of us as we simply stood there, staring at where the nurse left.

Warren was the first to break the tedium. "I'm going to bed," he announced, smiling brightly as he could. I wasn't sure whether I was imagining it or not, but there was a falseness about his attitude. He didn't seem capable of looking me in the eye as he left, and I wondered whether he was still feeling guilty over what had happened today. My heart sank- what if he forbade me from following him on his journey? What if he sent me home? It was sad, but I had grown quite fond of Warren- I didn't really have friends, considering how I clashed with my fellow classmates, so the thought of Warren leaving me behind was actually pretty disheartening. And going out on my journey alone, with only my pokemon- I was ashamed to admit it, but I was scared of the thought.

"What's his problem?" Alex asked. It seemed that even he, thick-headed as he was, had managed to pick up the bug trainer's despondency.

"He's probably upset that Goldenrod was attacked," I responded quietly. "He's trying to stop the attacks so that the Pokemon League won't close down."

"Not like you care."

I flinched from the callous way he said that- still, I couldn't exactly deny the truth in his statement, and I had had enough of his taunts. "You're right, I don't," I replied, turning to the other boy. "If it weren't for the fact that the Pokemon League exists- that _trainers _exist, then maybe the entire region wouldn't be shaking in terror from a single bad apple- who's using his pokemon for his own whims and fancies. If it weren't for that fact, maybe my Dad wouldn't be in a hospital, and those people that lost their lives? Maybe they'd still be alive! Why should I care if the Pokemon League is closing down if it's solving the problems we've been having?"

Alex was stunned by my outburst, but he wasted no time in launching a retort. "And what about when the pokemon attack_ us_, huh?" He sneered. "It's happened before- and it's happening again. You can't deny that some of those attacks have been proven to be wild pokemon attacks on human towns and cities! You can't deny that our only counter-measure - our only source of protection- happens to be trainers. Gym Leaders, trainers, League officials, pokemon researchers- you know, people who actually train pokemon? Who tame the world we live on? Who actually make our lives capable?" He snorted. "What, did you think it'd be possible for humans to survive against creatures that have the ability to char us to death if we didn't control them?"

"We don't need to be trainers to survive! Pokemon and humans have lived alongside one another since ancient times-"

"Only because some brave souls decided to tame the pokemon around them to work _for _them." Alex snorted. "Didn't you pay attention in history class? The only reason why our ancestors were able to survive was because we were smart enough to use pokemon against their own kind! And people like them- _trainers- _are still the ones the people turn to when there are times of trouble. Remember the Team Rocket fiasco? It wasn't the cops that busted that operation- it was a ten year old kid! And the whole thing with Hoenn, just last year, with Team Aqua and Magma? You remember that? It wasn't just a random passerby that saved their sorry asses!"

"Just because our ancestors used pokemon doesn't mean that we have to do so, too!" I responded heatedly. "We live in the Information Age! There hasn't been a war in over thirty years! There's no need for trainers to exist anymore-"

"No, because obviously Team Rocket and others like them aren't just cause to keep pokemon for _protection_-"

"The only reason why those corrupt trainers gain power is because they have pokemon, and are willing to use it in large enough numbers-"

"Kinda like the army?" Alex asked scathingly.

"Power corrupts," I retorted as calmly as I could. "_Pokemon_ give trainers unlimited power! Trainers- every single one of them, whether they're ten years old or twenty- have the potential to wipe out entire cities if they chose to do so! And it has happened before- people have _died, _Alex, because of trainers. Because of pokemon!"

Alex was about to retort, except whatever words he had died on his tongue. Instead, he stood there for a moment, a finger weakly pointed in my direction as he searched about for words to say. He was breathing heavily from our argument, his left hand clenched tightly into a fist. Besides that, there was no other movement- the silence between us stretched for seconds, then to minutes, before Tony stepped in.

"That's quite enough, you two," the older boy said, as if he were talking to two five-year olds. He rested a hand on Alex's shoulder, shooting me a disapproving look. "I think you've harried her enough for tonight, Alex. Take it easy. Besides, don't you have anything else better to do?"

The black-haired boy scowled in response to that. Shrugging off Tony's hand, he glared at me for a second, and in that moment, our eyes met and it was like we were the only two people in the room. The anger in his eyes was intense, and he looked like he was about to launch himself at me. However, with a derisive snort, he turned on his heel and headed towards the common room. Where all the other trainers would be.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and only then did I notice that my nails were digging into the skin of my palm and that my knees were shaking- just like every other time I encountered trouble. Only this time, they weren't shaking with fear- they were trembling with the rage I had kept inside for years upon years; trembling from the thoughts that had suddenly burst out without provocation, simply because I had had enough of all the sneers and taunts and the way everyone else seemed to think that pokemon training was a benevolent lifestyle choice- a chance to help the community, the world, a chance to prove themselves better than the rest of the nutjobs that insisted on training wild creatures- and that I was wrong, _wrong, wrong_.

"Hey, Dewdrop."

I looked up. Alex had a hand pressed against the glass door separating both rooms, and his back was turned towards me. Still, even without seeing his face, I could sense his derision and anger just from the way he had called me. He knew he had my attention- I saw the corners of his cheeks rise up with a smirk.

"If you think all that about trainers, then tell me this: What the hell does that make you?"

* * *

I didn't know what came over me. Or rather, I had no idea what set me off- there were a thousand and one thoughts running through my head, and each one of them was more than enough for me to find the strength to storm out of the Pokemon Center in a fit of rage. I was tired of having to deal with idiots like Alex. I was tired of being dragged into life-and-death situations. I was angry at myself for letting Alex goad me into that argument in the first place, and I was sick of being a trainer when even my starter seemed like it was keeping secrets from me. I was bitter because of the circumstances that had dragged me from home, and I felt guilty and hypocrticial and so many other emotions at the same time that I felt like I was about to be sick.

I shuddered and took in a deep breath, gulping in the cooling night air before collapsing onto the ground. I had no idea where I was, having let my feet lead the way (though I made certain of the fact that I was still within the town boundaries- it would do me no good to get attacked by wild pokemon when all of mine were still in the pokemon center). I had walked as far as that warm anger burned in my chest, though it wasn't long before the night chill caught up with me. I took a long glance around me, drinking in the scenery- I had made my way up a hill in the northern parts of town, and from my vantage point, I could see Azalea in its entirety. The pokemon center was some distance off to my left, and the entrance to Ilex was off to my right. The night sky, deep blue and filled with twinkling stars, formed a comforting blanket over the town, making it look safe and warm and- _homely. _

My eyes misted over. It had been a week since I had left the ruins of the ranch, since I left Dad and Delilah and the Violet City I was so familiar with. I had caught three pokemon, and had managed to worm my way out of three near-death situations. If it were any other kid setting out on a pokemon journey, I think they would have been relieved- overjoyed, even- at the thought. But me, I just wanted to throw away my pokeballs and I go home.

I snorted, dashing a hand across my eyes. "Look at me," I muttered to no one in particular. "One week and I'm already homesick."

But it wasn't just homesickness. I swallowed, resting my head on my knees. Despite what happened with the Gastlys, I didn't want to go on a journey to stop Esper. And I didn't want to be a well-renown pokemon trainer either.

"All I want is to be able to make enough money to pay off Dad's hospital bills." I sighed, sinking deeper into my knees."I just want to go home. Go to school. I don't want to be a pokemon trainer. I don't want to travel around the world with pokemon who don't even listen to me, fighting for my life every step of the way, for some nigh unattainable goal with a starter who thinks it's perfectly acceptable to use its powers on me!"

But no, that statement wasn't entirely true. Girafarig _had_ stopped me from withdrawing it from battle using its psychic powers, but in doing so, it had also saved my life. None of my other pokemon were up to standard against the Gardevoir, and if I had sent out Zubat or Mareep, I would have lost. And then Esper would have killed me before leaving the glade.

Yet I was terrified of that sensation of losing all control of my body, the lack of ability to stop Girafarig from doing anything that it wanted to. If I was a trainer, shouldn't I be able to control my own pokemon?

Still, Girafarig had saved my life, and I was grateful for that. That did nothing for my nerves though, or that shock to my system when I remembered that despite all its supposed intelligence, Girafarig was still just a pokemon. A pokemon with the capability to understand my mind and guide me along the way, but a creature so far evolved from humanity that it would be near impossible for any mere beginning trainer like myself to actually understand.

But did I want to be a trainer?

Everyone knew that being a pokemon trainer was tough. Trainers started their journeys at ten years old because it was simply the most convenient- any older and they couldn't adapt to pokemon training as quickly as a child would; any younger and they would be easily overpowered by their own pokemon, let alone any wild ones. It was no wonder that those trainers that made it to the top of their field became a sort of idol in the eyes of the public, someone more than just a regular human kid.

But the times were changing. Ten years ago, Team Rocket came and wreaked havok all over Kanto; three years later, they spread their influence to Johto. Back then, some brave (or incredibly lucky and stupid) kid managed to stop them both times; usually with a trusty pokemon sidekick by his side. But the impact was clear- the public started being more wary of pokemon, and pokemon attacks were being brought more into the spotlight. And trainers were now regarded as something between a cross of mythic hero and suspicious criminal.

Even I felt like that. How could you trust anyone who could easily destroy you with a single command? I had only been a trainer for about a week and already I had almost died three times; mostly because I _was _a pokemon trainer. It was evident that if I was just some kid, I would never have been dragged into the Sprout Tower incident, but no; somehow,_ somehow_, I ended up with a Girafarig on hand and became a pokemon trainer, marked for death by some crazy psychic trainer and with my Dad in the hospital. Although the latter was probably not exactly related to me being a trainer, but still-

The weight around my belt where my pokeballs usually sat felt like a burden, one that I realized all too keenly. Without them now, I felt almost normal. I could almost believe I was here in Azalea for a holiday, and I would be home by tomorrow, with my Dad and school and the Mareep-

I was scared. The attacks had made me nervous ever since I left Violet, but with this double-pronged attack on both Goldenrod and Azalea, I realized that whatever safety I believed existed was merely an illusion. An illusion which was held at bay back when I was living in the outskirts of a city that had never been attacked before; but one that was so easily dispelled when I was at the frontlines of the battle. When I fought Esper earlier that day, I realized that I could die. And I didn't want to die. I knew that the death rate of pokemon trainers was usually higher than reported, and I knew that the majority of those that died were kids my age, but up until then, I hadn't actually realized that _I _could die while I was out on my journey. Heck, considering that half my team wanted to murder me, I could even die at the hands of my own pokemon!

"I can just see it now," I muttered. "Kid dies because she can't control her Onix."

Every part of me wanted to quit right there and then, but I knew I couldn't. I gave my word to Dad, and taking it back now seemed too shameful. More than that, he needed the money that pokemon training generated. And though Warren never let on to how wealthy his family was, I knew for a fact that League Champions were usually ranked as one of the richest people in the world.

One thing was certain: if I were to continue on my journey, I had to be prepared for anything. Something told me that Esper would come after me again, and though I was lucky the first time round, I knew if I wasn't strong enough the next time we fought, I was dead.

_"What does that make you?"_

Alex's voice echoed in my mind, almost like Girafarig was projecting it to me (which was impossible, considering that it was at the center, so I blamed it on my imagination). What if I got too powerful? What if I became like one of those bad apples- those trainers from Team Rocket, Esper, those people who abused their power and hurt others? Power would mean protection, but in the pokemon world, power meant that you were good at battles- and battles meant fighting other people, and battles meant hurting other pokemon; and at times, other people.

"Don't be silly, Dew," I muttered. "This is for Dad. Once his fees are paid, I can stop this training thing for good. Besides, I'm not that strong anyways."

Which brought my train of thought to the only safe conclusion (the others were filled with paranoid meanderings and no answers I felt comfortable with): In order to achieve my goal as quickly as I could, I needed money. And that meant only one thing- I would have to challenge the Azalea Gym.

"For Dad."

Once my mind was made up, I knew that my course was set. Still, even as I made my way back to the pokemon center, battle strategies dancing around in my head, Alex's words sat in the depths of my mind, never really coherent, but always there like a whisper of doubt. And even softer, even further back, my inner voice replied:

_"A pokemon trainer."_

* * *

Next: Dew challenges the Azalea Gym, though she's not quite sure how Alex ended up tagging along.

So with that, the establishing part of the story has ended, and now we can move on to the adventure/battle bits. Hopefully the story will pick up more pace now, and more plot shall be thrown in. Eventually.


	17. Corner of the Arena

Nothing to see here. Moving on.

* * *

**Chapter 16 **

**Corner of the Arena**

I dreamt of freshly falling snow in a place far up in the north, where the breeze was gentle and cool and there was the hint of wildflowers in the air. It didn't feel so much like a dream than a memory, but the details were mostly hazy, the edges blurred by fog. I remembered the stark winter sun, snow, and the gentle feeling of someone's hand on my shoulder. It was quite a contrast to the scene I woke up to- the warm main room of the center, surrounded by other trainers and their pokemon, where the only sounds were that of the stirring sleepers or the clanging sounds of cutlery as breakfast was served.

After a quick wash and a small breakfast (which happened, unfortunately, to be gruel again) I realized that I had yet to tell Warren that I planned to challenge Bugsy today, but when I looked around, I couldn't find him or Gnat anywhere. My first thought- that he had left Azalea without me- sparked a bit of panic, but after a quick talk with the nurse, I learned that he had set out for Ilex Forest early that morning, for some unknown reason, but had left Gnat in the center's care for the day. It bugged me as to why he left town with only Jaws, his weaker pokemon, in his company, but it seemed almost confirmed that he would return sometime later in the day. Warren wasn't the kind of kid who would just abandon their first pokemon like that.

Did he still feel guilty for what happened yesterday? I bit my lip. My shoulder- now sore- ached when I thought about his expression the night before. Perhaps he wanted some sort of clue as to what happened the day before? He sure seemed unhappy about the fact that I was attacked due to my association with him, and I wondered whether he had headed off for some early-morning training.

Or maybe I was just giving him too much credit. After all, he didn't even bother telling me that he was going for a quick trip- a quick check on my pokegear showed that he hadn't even bothered with a message. With a huff of exasperation, I shook all thought of Warren out of my head- if he wasn't going to tell me he was going for an expedition in the forest, I wasn't about to worry my head off if the guy didn't know I was challenging the bug pokemon gym today.

Speaking of- I hastily counted the pokeballs on my belt: Girafarig, Mareep, Onix, and Zubat. There hadn't been much time to train them, but honestly, the last attempt I tried at training had ended up in almost getting drowned by mind-controlled Slowpokes and killed by a Xatu, so I wasn't too keen on taking that up again. Besides, according to Warren's training manual, bug pokemon were pretty weak, overall- and I had two type advantages in Onix and Zubat.

Though, now that I thought about it, Bugsy's Scyther did look pretty scary.

I gulped, shaking the memory of that Scyther's incredibly sharp pointy arm-blade-thing pointing in my direction away. "Don't worry," I told myself. "This time, it'll be pokemon vs pokemon. None of that weird pokemon attacking humans crap."

Somehow, that failed to calm my nerves. After all, this would be my first Gym battle, and Warren- the only other person I knew who actually fought in gyms, was nowhere around. I had no clue as to the procedure, the rules and regulations, or whether there were any conditions I had to meet before I could actually fight Bugsy. Still, I wasn't about to win a bag of prize money just sitting around, so I took a deep breath, faced the entrance of the pokemon center, and prepared to leave-

Only to be stopped by an annoying voice that I was starting to hate almost as much as Gastlys.

"Aw, so the Dewdrop's not going home?"

Oddly enough, my anger at Alex was enough to overwrite my nerves. Shooting a glare at him, I found him lounging against a wall in a corner, a dark figure which somehow managed to avoid my detection when I first enterred the room (which was remarkable, considering that the walls of the center were white-washed). There was that crooked smirk he was wearing again, but despite his relaxed stance, I could almost feel the hatred oozing out of him.

"Are you out looking for scar-ry big Suicune again? Fighting another mysterious stranger?"

"Are you stalking me?" I asked, trying my best to sound angry (not that I didn't feel angry; I just never managed to make myself sound intimidating enough for people to run away from really quickly). Unfortunately, Alex seemed not to take any notice at all.

"What? Hell no."

I rested my hands on my hips, studying the boy. "Then why is it that you seem to turn up wherever I go?"

"We're in the same town at the same time," Alex pointed out, languidly resting his arms behind his head. "Plus, we're both trainers- at least, judging by those pokeballs on your belt, I'm guessing you ain't gonna give up just yet. It's not s'if it's a one-in-a-million chance for us to bump into each other, y'know."

I grit my teeth. "What do you want now, Alex?"

His smirk grew at my irritation. "Is the wittle baby Budew gonna cry now?" he asked. Chuckling at my glare, he waved a hand dismissively. "Nah, I just didn't have anything better to do. All the other trainers are probably too tough for a newbie like me to fight and Tony ran off somewhere, and then- hey, there's that pathetic wimp-face, just when I was starting to get bored of counting the ceiling tiles. How could I pass this oppurtunity up?" He eyed me appraisingly. "Though, to be honest, I kinda expected you to have ran home in tears by now."

"I have better things to do than to run away from a bully."

"That the best you can come up with, Dewdrop?" Alex snorted. "Though it kinda fits your whole wimpy, I-can't-do-anything-for-myself image that you've got goin' on there-"

"Are you just here to get me into some sort of argument?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Alex agreed. He arched an eyebrow. "You still wanna be a trainer despite everything you said yesterday? I mean, unless you didn't mean it, which kinda makes you seem even more wimpy-"

I could feel the heat in my cheeks, but I tried to maintain a rein on my anger. The last thing I needed right now was to be distracted- by Alex, of all people. "Look," I said tersely, "Some people actually have stuff to do, Alex, so why don't you just go away and play with your Bellsprout or something and just-"

"You know, we never got to finish our fight yesterday." Alex seemed to have ignored everything I said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully (which looked kinda ridiculous considering that he hadn't even hit puberty). "Wanna go again?"

"No," I said automatically.

"Aww, c'mon, Dewdrop. It'll keep me entertained for about thirty minutes, at the very most. Plus you still haven't gotten it into your thick head that you ain't no pokemon trainer-"

"I'm going to fight the Gym today," I snapped. "I don't have time to waste on _you, _Alex."

In hindsight, that was probably the worst thing I could have said that day. I didn't know what I expected Alex to do- walk away, apologize, act like a _decent _trainer, completely forgetting that, for the whole day that I had known him, the most important trait Alex had was that he absolutely hated my guts. I partially blamed in on the fact that I always wanted to think that people had some basic decency inside them, but of course, this wasn't most people we were talking about. This was Alex.

"You're gonna fight the Gym?" I didn't think it was possible, but somehow, Alex's smirk had now stretched to a grin of Glameow proportions. "Aw man, this will be hilarious! Why didn't you say so earlier, Dewdrop?"

"W-what?"

"Watching you lose a Gym fight would be epicly more hilarious than just fighting you myself! Why didn't I think about this before?" He slapped his forehead before grabbing my wrist (which people seemed to be doing a lot of nowadays), effectively cutting off any chance of escape I had, not to mention grossly overstepping his limit on my personal space.

"L-let go of me!" I sputtered, trying to dislodge myself from Alex's grip. It was then I realized that, compared to my slight frame, Alex was ridiculously huge. He towered over me, his arms easily twice the size of my own (though that could easily be attributed to my own imagination). It was almost impossible to escape.

"Fat chance. I'm bored, and since you so nicely described me as a bully, you'll be my designated victim of the day. This will be loads of fun, Dewdrop, just you see!"

I sighed. I was doomed.

* * *

"The challenger is Budew Eldridge from Violet City, against the Gym Leader of Azalea Town, Bugsy. The match will be one on one, two pokemon apiece. There is no time limit, and the battle will continue until both pokemon from either side are unable to battle. The challenger is allowed to switch their pokemon."

I shot a glare at Alex, comfortably seated on the stands, who merely waved in reply, and I could have sworn that he had a bag of popcorn right next to him. It was bad enough that Warren wasn't here to advise me, and that this was my first gym battle and the chances of me winning were slim enough already, but now he was there, waiting and watching to pounce the moment I lost. Even from a distance, a Zubat with no voice could tell that my knees were shaking and that I was obviously way out of my comfort zone. He was enjoying this, I knew. And he would be laughing to high heaven if- when- I lost.

"Hey, uh, are you alright?" I snapped to attention at the sound of Bugsy's voice. The gym leader, standing across the marked field, was watching me worriedly. "You look kinda distracted. If you aren't ready to fight yet, you can still bow out, you know. Nobody's going to stop you."

Nobody but Alex, I thought, inwardly seething.

"I'm fine," I replied stiffly, clenching my fist in anger. It was strange- the anger I felt towards Alex helped me focus my thoughts towards one goal alone- to win this battle. If I won, not only would I fulfill my goal of getting the prize money, but I would also deprive Alex of whatever enjoyment he hoped to have while watching me lose.

Bugsy nodded, not quite convinced, but quietly gave the referee the signal to continue.

"Begin!"

"Zubat!"

"Kakuna!"

A flash of white light enveloped the field, and when it cleared, the combatants were revealed. Zubat, fluttering around my corner of the field, squeaked to get a hold of its surroundings, but once it saw its opponent, it lined itself up. Kakuna, itself, was a yellow little bug with its limbs pulled up to its body, seemingly wrapped in a thin film of paper. It balanced precariously on the tip of its abdomen, almost like a bowling pin lined up for a strike.

I was in luck, I knew. Kakuna was one of the most common pokemon in Kanto's famous Viridian forest, and it was one of the few pokemon I actually remembered studying back in school. It wasn't particularly strong, and its most powerful weapon- it's poison, was completely ineffective against Zubat. I grinned. I could actually win this.

"Zubat," I called, making sure that I got the little bat's attention. "Use Supersonic!"

"Get out of the way, Kakuna!"

Zubat lunged towards the yellow bug, screeching all the way. Despite myself, I clamped my hands over my ears- Zubat's voice was _sharp. _If it was already hard enough for me to think, imagine how much worse it would be for Kakuna, the actual target. Just like I expected, Kakuna was too slow to avoid Zubat's opening move, and as the little bat pulled back to return to its corner of the field, I saw that the bug pokemon was swaying slightly, unable to respond to Bugsy's commands.

I grinned, but I didn't let myself get too confident. After all, Zubat was still pretty weak, and judging from its frail body, it wouldn't be able to pull off a powerful attack yet. I could only whittle away at Kakuna's defenses slowly until it gave way.

"Astonish!" I yelled.

"Protect with Harden, Kakuna!" Bugsy retaliated.

Unfortunately, Zubat managed to get the first strike in before Kakuna could bring its defences up. A perfect, swift hit from one of Zubat's wings knocked the yellow bug over, tipping it over on its side. As it struggled to get back up, it look disoriented, almost like it couldn't focus on what was going on- and then it fell over again, this time without Zubat's help, unable to maintain its balance for long.

It was confused, I realized. The Supersonic attack, doubled with Astonish had knocked the Kakuna off balance, unable to focus on its own attacks. It was a perfect oppurtunity.

"Zubat, Bite!"

It took less than a minute of rapid attacks and continued Supersonic for the Kakuna to succumb to its confusion and injuries and topple over for good. It never got a hit in.

"Kakuna is unable to battle. The challenger wins this round!"

I took in a deep breath. My knees had started trembling again, despite the fact that I had managed to pull off a flawless victory against the Kakuna. Still, it was only a Kakuna, and I knew that just about any decent pokemon would have been able to handle it. Yet, there was a brief flash of pride as I realized that I had taken down one of Bugsy's pokemon. Only one more to go.

"Lucky shot," Bugsy muttered, withdrawing his Kakuna. His easy-going demeanor had disappeared, leaving only the determined gym leader I had seen yesterday. "You won't be able to pull the same trick again," he warned, revealing his second pokeball. "Go, Scyther!"

I knew it. Almost immediately, panic kicked in even before the Scyther appeared out of its pokeball. I had no idea what it could do, or how powerful it was, but I remembered its arm-blades, and I remembered the cool assurance in its eyes. What I did know was that Scyther was obviously Bugsy's ace, and that you don't become a gym leader's ace for nothing. Especially when the gym leader in question carried around weak pokemon like Kakuna.

"Zubat, Supersonic again!"

Zubat lunged in for the attack, but Scyther was even quicker, batting the little flying pokemon out of the air even before I saw it move. Zubat let out a shriek as it was hit, toppling in mid-air before it regained its balance, flying quickly back to my corner of the field. I was nearly stunned by how fast the bug pokemon moved- in just one second, it had covered almost half the field. There was no doubt about it- it was fast, and powerful too.

"Told you it wouldn't work," Bugsy said with a smirk.

I grit my teeth. There was no way Zubat could get close to the Scyther without firing off a Supersonic to get it disoriented, but if it couldn't even reach it- "Zubat, get up in the air," I commanded.

But even before Zubat moved, Scyther was there again, slashing and hacking at the little bat even as it tried its hardest to pull itself up into the air- and then I realized my fatal mistake. Scyther had wings.

They had been fluttering so fast, almost like a blur behind the green pokemon, that I never even saw them. It was only through the memory of yesterday, when Scyther had been still- when it had its arm pointed at me- that I saw those wings, and now that I knew-

"Zubat, get out of there!"

"Fury Cutter!"

It was too late. I could only watch as Zubat was struck from the air, landing on the field with a small thud, exhausted and unable to even land a hit on the Scyther. The bug pokemon landed gracefully nearby, watching as Zubat struggled weakly to get into the air before its wings fell limp by its side. It sniffed, drawing itself up to its full proportion, almost as if it was taunting me.

"Zubat is unable to battle. This round goes to Bugsy. The next round will be the final round."

I quickly withdrew Zubat, though now I had no idea what to do. Scyther was easily faster than the rest of my pokemon, and despite its type advantage over flying types, I knew that if I sent Mareep out, it would meet the same fate as Zubat. After all, Zubat had all the type advantages against a Scyther, and yet it got taken down, even before it could land a hit. The sensible choice would be Onix, but after its horrible fight with Esper yesterday, I didn't want to send out to battle when it was still healing from its wounds. Also, it could easily have decided to eat me again instead of fighting Scyther. And Girafarig was definitely out- even if it was my strongest pokemon, it was still a psychic type and it was no match for Scyther's sheer power and speed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Alex. He was still watching me, still smirking, as if he was saying, "Well how about that? The little Dewdrop can't handle a measly little Scyther."

And I chose my pokemon.

"Mareep!"

Mareep gave me a sleepy glance when it appeared, as if it was saying, "What do you want, now?" But a quick cry from the referee got its attention, and suddenly the battle began again.

"Fury Cutter!"

"Mareep, Flash!"

Scyther moved in quick, like an acrobat, striking at the ground where Mareep stood. In its confusion and panic, the little sheep couldn't get out of the way, and the attack sent it flying a few feet away, landing on the battlefield in a small cloud of dust.

"I hope you weren't thinking you would be able to pull off an electric attack against Scyther," Bugsy called out to me, smugly resting against his butterfly net. "You won't get a chance."

Luckily for me, Mareep was still able to fight. As it struggled to its small feet, volts of electricity danced in the air around it, searching for a target to hit, to vent its rage.

"Fury Cutter again, Scyther!" Bugsy commanded. "Let's wrap this up quick!"

Scyther let out a cry of acknowledgement and took to the air, blades leading.

"Mareep, Thundershock!"

Fortunately, Mareep decided to obey me. Unfortunately, that target wasn't the Scyther.

I scarcely knew what was going on when the first jolt of electricity shot towards me, and if it weren't for a split-moment reflex borne from sensing the electricity in the air (a gift from being around Mareep my whole life), I would have been fried by the electric sheep's Thundershock. As it was, the ground where I was standing was scorched, a fate which could all but have been mine.

But its momentary distraction allowed the Scyther to move in close, its blades striking hard against Mareep's soft wool, slicing some of it off to get to the flesh beneath. The little sheep cried out in pain, and I saw that the wound had drawn blood even as it struggled to get away from the Scyther.

I glanced quickly up from the chaos and saw Bugsy looking at me with a stern expression.

"Scyther, time for the finishing blow," he commanded calmly.

"Mareep, stop it!" I hollered. "Thundershock!"

"Maa!" Mareep bleated.

It was either pissed off at the Scyther for ruining its precious wool coat, or maybe it just decided that listening to me might be a good idea for once, but whatever the case, Mareep fired off a Thundershock attack at Scyther, catching it in a lucky shot. I didn't know whether it was because it had grown overconfident from the lack of defence we had put up, but whatever the case, I could feel the tide of the battle shifting.

There was a cry of pain, the scent of burning flesh, and then the dust cleared. The Scyther, having taken a direct hit from an electric attack, should have been knocked out, but somehow, it was still standing. I saw lines of electricity running down its arms, sizzling around its arm-blades, drops of Mareep's blood dropping from its edges. It was a terrifying sight, but the look in its eyes- of pure, concentrated rage- was even more terrifying.

You didn't get to be a Gym Leader's ace for nothing.

"Mareep," I yelled. "Just one more hit! Thundershock!"

"Scyther, don't let them get an attack off!" Bugsy retaliated, apparently realizing that we weren't going to give up just yet. "Fury Cutter!"

Either luck was on our side, or Mareep was just really, really pissed at the Scyther. Whatever it was, Scyther froze up all of a sudden, unable to move, and took the full brunt of Mareep's Thundershock attack. Later, I realized it was because my previous Thundershock had paralyzed Bugsy's Scyther, but at that moment, it felt as though Mareep and I had finally reached some sort of understanding, some sort of agreement-

And then, just as Bugsy's Scyther fell onto the ground, another volt of electricity came dancing my way.

"Ack- Mareep, return!"

I breathed a sigh of relief when the little sheep was gone from sight, though I could still feel the tingles on my skin where the Thundershock attack came too close for my liking. Still, at least we won the battle.

"Congratulations," Bugsy said, crossing the field to my corner. Up close, I was surprised to see that we were about the same height. Then again, considering that our last encounter had been when that Scyther had me a blade-point...

"Um, thank you," I managed to say. The thought that I had won, coupled with the adrenaline rush of the battle, had left me a shaking pile of nerves. My knees had stopped shaking a long time ago, but my legs felt completely exhausted. I wanted nothing more than to just return to the Pokemon Center and just sleep the rest of the day away.

"You know, that was pretty touch-and-go, there." The Gym Leader had that stern look on his face, like he was trying to seize me up. "You really shouldn't be using Pokemon that won't listen to you in the middle of a battle. That could have resulted in serious injuries, for both sides."

I bowed my head. So that was what he was trying to say. My inability to work well with Mareep had shown him that I was still a newbie, and the fact that I had no control over that errant sheep in the middle of a gym battle just made me seem undeserving as a trainer.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I'll try harder. Mareep and I just have... differences."

Bugsy nodded. "You better. I'd feel kinda bad if I gave out the Hive Badge to a kid that doesn't know how to control her own pokemon."

"Sir?" It felt odd calling someone in his teens that, but that was the only way I felt like I could address the Gym Leader of Azalea.

He sighed, reaching out from his shirt pocket, and placing something shiny in the palm of my hand. "Look, you handled yourself pretty well out there, and had a pretty good strategy with your Zubat. And despite everything, you still managed to net a win." He gave me a small grin. "And while you're rough around the edges, even I can see that you have some potential to become pretty good at battling. I can't not acknowledge that you have some skills as a pokemon trainer, can I? Especially since most starting trainers usually have the same problems as you do."

I looked at what he had given me- a small, diamond-shaped piece of metal lay gleaming in my hand. I felt overwhelmed- this was my first badge. Even though I had won, I had thoroughly expected him to deem me unworthy of being a trainer- after all, the battle part was all well and good, but it was the leader's judgement that gave you the badge. And having it in my hand, the piece of metal that told me I was actually a trainer of some worth, made me feel as though I wanted to cry; partially because I was totally trudging over all my morals and beliefs, partially because well- _I won a gym badge._

In the end, I realized that despite how I was feeling, Bugsy was still waiting for my response."Th-thank you," I squeaked.

"Not a problem." Bugsy's grin seemed wider now. "It's what I'm supposed to do, after all. Try to relax a bit, Budew. Not everything's out to kill you, you know."

"I wouldn't bet on that," I thought, thinking of how pissed Alex would be once he realized that I wasn't going to be disqualified or anything like that. And that I actually won, of course. But he probably saw the whole thing in front of his eyes, anyways.

Bugsy only laughed. "Well, whatever it is, just sic your Mareep on it. It's got enough rage to handle ten Tauros at once."

I smiled. "Will do."

Normally, it would have ended there. Bugsy and I had said our goodbyes (after he gave me my prize money, of course), and I was about to turn and leave (hopefully slipping past Alex as I did so). But suddenly, or maybe it was just my exhaustion talking to me, there was a blinding flash of light as the gym doors were thrown open. I had never realized how dramatic entrances could be until now, but as my eyes were trying to re-orient themselves, I managed to make out a single familiar silhouette of a boy with a Venonat on his shoulder blocking out the blinding light of the noon sun.

"My name is Warren Brightly," Warren declared. "And I'm here to challenge the Azalea Gym."

* * *

Next: Warren fights against Bugsy, and Tony makes his move. Dew gets to show off her shiny new badge.


	18. Bug Swarm

Two more chapters till we leave Azalea. So close... yet so far...

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Bug Swarm

There was a moment of stunned silence after Warren made his announcement. It felt as though time stood still in appreciation of this moment, and when it finally moved again, I couldn't find the words to speak.

Luckily, Warren didn't have such problems. "Dew?" he asked curiously, staring at me. His eyes flicked between Bugsy and I, and the little shining badge in my hand, before they filled with understanding. "You challenged the gym?"

I nodded mutedly, quite taken by surprise from his sudden apperance. Luckily, Bugsy had easily recovered from Warren's sudden appearance (probably from the fact that challengers did that all the time) and picked up the conversation from there.

"She just finished beating my pokemon," he explained. "It was a good battle."

Warren's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you just fought? And you lost? Doesn't that mean all your pokemon are knocked out? Should I come back at another time? I'm sorry for issuing a challenge just like that if that's the case-"

Bugsy laughed and shook his head, striding forward and extending a hand out towards Warren. "That won't be neccessary. There's a healing center installed within the gym itself, so give me a few minutes and I'll get my pokemon healed and ready to battle." There was a gleam in his eye as he watched Warren cautiously take his hand. "You were the bug-trainer from yesterday, weren't you? I suppose you'll be fighting with your bug types?"

"I'll try my best," Warren replied with a bright smile. "I'll show you what I've learned about bug pokemon throughout my journey!"

"Big words." Bugsy grinned. "Still, I don't get a lot of takers from bug pokemon trainers. Alright, make this interesting for me, alright?"

With that, he turned and left- presumably to find this healing center, but thankfully his interruption was enough for me to finally regain control of my tongue.

"You're going to challenge Bugsy?" I asked, the words leaping from my tongue the moment I opened my mouth. "Didn't you say that you didn't want to fight the gyms anymore?"

Warren's bright smile as he watched Bugsy leave dimmed slightly as I said that. "I realized it wasn't possible."

"Sure it was possible! You could have avoided the gyms and just continued on your journey. You're just trying to find the legendaries, remember?"

Warren shook his head and turned to face me. "You saw what happened yesterday," he said, nodding towards my injured shoulder. "If this was ten, twenty years ago, maybe it would be safe for a kid like myself to undertake such an epic quest without needing to be strong. But I realized that the world we live in is way too dangerous for that to happen. It could have been me who was attacked yesterday, and honestly, I'm still pretty cheesed off that I couldn't do anything when you got yourself hurt like that. If I want to really follow through with my journey, I need to be stronger. And to be stronger, I need to get badges to prove my worth, not only to the world, but also to myself."

"You're talking crazy," I said. "Are you listening to what you're saying? Your worth? You're ten years old, Warren!"

"True," Warren replied with a chuckle. "But I'm a pokemon trainer, too. And pokemon trainers always do dangerous things."

I glanced at him. His smile was bright, just like when I first saw him running away from those Rattata in what felt like ages ago. But there was a serious determination in his eyes, one that said that he wasn't about to lose to any gym, pokemon, or trainer that came across his path. He could actually follow through with it, I found myself thinking. He could actually be able to do what he said he wanted to achieve.

"Good luck," I found myself saying. "I'll be watching your battle."

"Thanks." Warren grinned, a relieved smile spreading across his face. "It makes me feel better to know that you're rooting for me."

I grinned in reply. "Just make sure not to lose."

He tilted his hat in response, a confident grin on his face. "Not this time."

* * *

I left Warren and the entrance and found Alex waiting for me at the bleachers, the scowl on his face growing larger as he studied the new, shining badge in my hand. I normally never actually found myself in situations where I could lord over my opponent, but now that I did, I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

"So it seems that the little Budew isn't so weak and undeserving now, does she?" I couldn't help myself; I wanted Alex to eat his words, preferably with a side-dish of mocking laughter.

"Meh, Bugsy just took pity on you, is all," the dark-haired boy said with a pout, leaning backwards with his elbows on the seats above him. It was obvious he was pissed, but I had to hand it to him- he sure was stubborn.

"He- he did not!" I muttered, folding my arms.

"He fought your electric-type Mareep with a flying-type Scyther," Alex pointed out. "That was so totally biased."

"Aw c'mon. I bet if you fought Bugsy, you-"

"Already said and done." He lifted his jacket to show two gleaming badges underneath, smirking slightly at my grimace. "What, didn't think that you were the only trainer here that actually bothered with gym badges now, did you? Newsflash, Dewdrop. Practically everyone in Azalea came here for one reason, and that reason is that badge in your hand."

"All of them?" So maybe I was a bit naive, but it had already been three months since most trainers received their first pokemon and left their hometown, and Azalea was one of the easiest gyms in Johto. Yet despite the number of fresh-faced ten-year olds I had seen in the pokemon center, the number of hard-eyed veterans was much more. Surely not all of them were retired kids who decided to have one last shot at fame, right?

My confusion must have been evident, because Alex decided to explain (in a somewhat degrading tone), "It's because this is the last year of the Pokemon League Tournament. Compared to the last few years, this one's a doozy- almost thrice the number of participants have already applied for the League championships, even before gym season is over. The committee must be wanting to go out with a bang, because this year, all the trainers who want to compete have to gather all eight badges again. Man, you never really pay attention when they tell you these things, do you?"

I flushed slightly. "I- I do too!"

"Then I'm sure you must have noticed the date of the year engraved behind the back of your badge, right? For identification purposes in this year's championship?"

I must have looked like a tomato at that point, and I was expecting Alex to take advantage of that fact and throw it in my face with a pointer finger like a five year old child, but maybe he decided to take pity on me and changed the subject.

"So now it's the Brightly boy, huh?" He didn't bother hiding the sarcasm in his tone. He leaned forward in his seat, studying Warren as he stood at his edge of the field, a pokeball in his hand and a determined look on his face. "Is he good?"

I hesitated for a moment. Bugsy had yet to return from healing his pokemon, and Warren hadn't budged at all since our exchange after his dramatic entrance. "Well, he's better than me," I finally said.

He snorted. "Doesn't take much to be better than you, Dewdrop. Anyway, he's a bug pokemon trainer, yeah? Probably means he's not going to beat Bugsy, then."

"What? Why?"

"_Think _about it for a sec. Gym Leaders are supposed to be experts at their field, yeah? So if a bug pokemon trainer fights the bug pokemon Gym Leader, generally it means that they're using tricks that they know how to prevent; attacks that they know how to counter. Short of the Gym Leader taking pity on him, Brightly's not going to win this battle. Course, if he impresses Bugsy, he might still get a badge like you did-"

"I won fair and square," I said sharply, sitting down just as Bugsy entered the field. "And Warren will too."

* * *

Warren didn't look as nervous as when he fought Falkner, but that could very well have just been the distance blurring his face. His stance was calm and composed, and unlike me, he wasn't trembling at all. On his shoulder, Gnat sat completely still save for his twitching antennae in a way that made me feel almost ashamed at my own pokemon. This was how a pokemon trainer should be like, I found myself thinking, never faltering, never scared, always in control of the situation.

"The challenger is Warren Brightly of Blackthorn, versus Gym Leader Bugsy of Azalea Town. It will be a one-on-one, with two pokemon on either side. The first side whose pokemon are unable to battle will lose. Is that clear?"

There was a slight tilt of the hat from Warren's side, and a nod from Bugsy's. The referee swung his flags down, and the battle began in a blinding flash of light.

Bugsy's first pokemon was one I had never seen before- a weird, flying bug with a red shell painted with black spots and a yellow underbelly. It fluttered around in the air on gossamer-like wings, twisting and twirling with ease as it awaited for its opponent to show itself.

Warren grinned and glanced at Gnat, and without hesitation, the little purple furball jumped into the arena.

"Venonat versus Ledyba. Begin!"

Bugsy's pokemon- Ledyba- was the first to move, zooming towards Gnat with its fists leading. Yet, before it could hit, the Venonat had jumped up into the air, its antennae angled down at the other bug pokemon. Warren called out a command and purple waves- Gnat's Confusion attack- slammed the red bug several feet away.

Unfazed, the Ledyba regained control of its flight in the midair and, with a quick command from Bugsy, returned to the offense. In retaliation, Gnat sent out another wave of Confusion, only to be blocked by a familiar pink shield which the Ledyba managed to hastily put up. When I glanced at Warren, he was shouting commands as quickly as they come, adapting to whatever new situation Bugsy and Ledyba were throwing at him.

"Now _that's _how a true trainer battles," Alex said with a grin.

"So you admit that Warren might win?" I asked cautiously, somehow managing to tear my eyes away from the battle.

Alex snorted. "Not a chance, but this is far more entertaining than watching you battle."

"Don't be too sure, Alex."

Somehow, Tony had managed to sneak into the gym unnoticed by either Alex or myself, and now he sat perched on a seat just above us and slightly to the right. There was an inscrutible expression on his face as he studied Gnat and the Ledyba exchanging blows.

"How the hell did you get up there?" Alex asked, yelping in shock.

"I walked." There was a slight twitch in the corners of Tony's mouth. "Besides, I didn't want to interrupt your concentration on such a spectacular battle. Watch his movements, Alex, and you might actually learn something."

"Ledyba, Comet Punch! Hit it before it can pull off another attack!"

I glanced at Bugsy- the command had been loud enough for those of us in the bleachers to hear, and now that I had a glimpse of him, I saw that he was far more serious looking than when he was fighting me. For one, he wasn't leaning against the butterfly net anymore, and was taking active command of his pokemon's maneuvers.

Warren wasn't losing, but he wasn't winning either. Everytime Gnat launched an attack, just like Alex had predicted, Bugsy and Ledyba managed to pull off a counterattack easily. It was like a battle of attrition, each side waiting for the other to weaken before their own.

But it was more than that- there was a fluidity between Gnat's movements and Warren's commands, jumping to avoid being hit while somehow incorporating commands to attack at the same time, a sort of understanding between the two as to which strategies to use- it was uncanny. Likewise, there was a similar feeling when I watched Bugsy and Ledyba lead their attacks; as if both of them knew exactly what the other was thinking.

"Comet Punch!"

"Leech Life!"

Finally, Ledyba managed a stable hit on Gnat, only to have the little purple furball clamp its tiny jaws around the flying red bug's fist. There was moment to register the hit, and then suddenly Gnat was flying again, into the air-

"Poison Powder!" Warren cried, and Gnat recovered in midair and ruffled its fur, suddenly releasing a cascade of poisonous purple fog, catching Ledyba in the midst of the attack-

"Safeguard!" A counter, just as expected. Quickly, Ledyba curled up into a ball, a thin white veil forming over its skin as the purple dust descended around it-

"Now, Gnat! Tackle!"

The last command, after Warren's constant usage of Confusion, was totally unexpected. But it was as if Gnat was expecting it. Almost immediately, it tucked its tiny hands and feet behind its head and hurled down towards the stationary Ledbya, letting the force of gravity increase its speed and power- and by the time Bugsy opened his mouth to yell out another counter, Ledyba had taken the full force of the tackle attack, slamming back into the dirt, while Gnat landed daintily on its side of the field.

"Ledyba is unable to battle! The challenger wins this round!"

Bugsy looked pressed, I realized, and Warren- Warren looked like he was intensely concentrating on the battle, his fists clenched tightly at his sides while his eyes surveyed the arena.

"Scyther, go!"

"Gnat, return!" Warren commanded as Scyther showed itself, no worse for the wear after our battle. Returning the Venonat to its pokeball, he picked another one off his belt and threw it into the field, revealing-

Not Jaws. It was definitely not Jaws. It had a small, circular green body with six black and white legs and a tiny horn on the tip of its head. Jaws was orange, with a bulbous head and giant Jaws, and that was the only other pokemon that Warren had, and what was this, why wasn't this Jaws-

"A Spinarak?" Alex asked.

"They can be found in the Ilex Forest," Tony responded calmly. "Not particularly common, but not exactly rare either." He nodded knowingly, a small smile on his face. "So that was why he was missing all morning."

I felt my hands clench to the edge of my seat. Warren had went into the Ilex Forest alone and caught another pokemon- a Spinarak, and he was using it in the middle of a gym battle? I mean, I did the same thing with Zubat, but at least I had the type advantage. For Warren, though-

"Scyther, Wing Attack!"

Well, at least it wasn't going for a Fury Cutter spam-

Wait, wasn't Wing Attack a flying move? And wasn't Warren a bug type pokemon trainer?

"Oh no." So much for a type advantage. Bugsy had the upper hand, and judging from his grin, he knew it too.

"Spinner, String Shot!"

What was Warren doing, why was he using a bug type pokemon against a Scyther? He knew that Bugsy was a bug type trainer, and he knew that he had a Scyther up his sleeve, one with a ridiculous amount of aggression, so why was he using something as stupid and silly as a newly caught pokemon, with an ineffective attack- Even I knew better! What was that boy thinking-

"Get out of the way, Spinner!"

Spinner the Spinarak heeded Warren's command without any hesitation, skittering off to the side as the Scyther's arm-blade-things slammed into the ground where it was just a moment before, somehow avoiding the rapid attacks as the giant bug tried to squash its opponent underfoot. No, I realized. Spinarak could only do so much- Scyther was getting closer with each successive attack, getting within range of smashing the little spider to the ground-

"String Shot!"

"Don't get distracted, Scyther- Wing Attack!"

Spinner shot out a web at the Scyther, only to have it sliced into thin strips of ripped strings even before they landed. Furious that something so small and insignificant was actually standing up to it, Bugsy's Scyther went into a full-out assault, wing-arm-blade-things leading as it slashed towards the Spinarak. It would be a direct hit- there was no way that something as slow as the Spinarak could avoid the Scyther at such close quarters-

"Get ready, Spinarak!" On his command, Spinner settled down on all six of its feet, crouched, waiting for the Scyther to strike.

"What's he doing?" Alex snarled. "If he wants to get a free hit in, now's the time! What, does the Spinarak not know anything else?"

I bit my lip. Alex was right- now would be the best time for Warren to launch an ambush attack, but even then, Scyther was probably quick enough to counter whatever Spinarak could throw at it. There was no way out of this battle for the newly-caught pokemon, none that I could see. Yet, standing off in a distance, I could have sworn I saw Warren grin.

"String Shot!"

It could have been possible for the Scyther to bat away the attack. It was fast, after all, and its blades were more than capable of slicing Spinarak's webs to shreds, as it had demonstrated earlier. Maybe it expected the little spider to turn and flee like before, but whatever the case, it did nothing to prevent the String Shot, completely stunned by the sheer speed that the attacked was fired at. Of course, maybe that was because it was moving in to attack- after all, the Spinarak was no more than a feet away when the web fell and tightened itself around Scyther's arms and wings, dropping it flat onto the ground.

But it was merely down, not out. It looked around for the little bug that dared to stand up against something so vicious and powerful- only to realize that the little Spinarak had disappeared. Bugsy gave out a desperate cry at that point, and suddenly I realized that the force of the Scyther falling to the ground had been enough for to lift the Spinarak, attached by that sticky string, into the air- and onto its back. Scyther let out a cry of surprise and struggled against its bindings- to no avail. It was completely at the Spinarak's mercy.

"Scyther, get out of there! Fury Cutter!"

There was a tense moment when the Scyther looked like it was about to break free of its bindings, and it looked just about angry enough to do so- but its thrashings seemed weak, and then I realized that there was small flecks of purple powder- Gnat's Poison Powder- clinging onto the giant bug pokemon's wings and skin. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the poison powder Gnat had released in the earlier battle had settled onto the ground- and was disturbed when Scyther made its attack on Spinarak. I stared at Warren- he knew this would happen. He had planned for this, or even if he didn't, he had adapted his battle strategy to use this oppurtunity. The small smirk on his face was no coincidence.

Scyther would eventually tire out from the poison, and I felt some strange sort of pity for the proud, fierce bug pokemon- taken down by a foe that it couldn't even hit. Thankfully, Warren decided to put it out of its misery.

"Poison Sting!"

With a final, heart-rending cry, the battle ground to a halt. On one end of the battlefield was Bugsy, staring open-mouth in shock, and on the other, stood Warren and a small little Spinarak.

* * *

When I finally caught up with Warren again, he was waiting at the gym doors, talking to none other than Bugsy himself. Gnat was still settled on his shoulder, but now there was a gleaming metal badge resting on the collar of Warren's shirt. For some reason, it seemed to resonate with a silent, inspiring strength, more so than mine seemed to do, and I had to remind myself that it was just a badge. But something about the scene made it feel like I didn't quite belong there, and I found myself pressing my back against a nearby wall, hiding from their line of sight.

"That was a remarkable battle," Bugsy was commenting. "I didn't expect you to use Spinarak's string shot so effectively- it always seemed so useless on Kakuna and Metapod, and Scyther never lost to a string shot before."

"Maybe it's because Spinarak is a lot more agile than Kakuna," Warren replied. "Just because a move doesn't work on one pokemon doesn't mean that it won't work on another."

"Which reminds me- that was an excellent use of Poison Powder. You made it attack the ground on purpose, didn't you?"

"You're giving me too much credit, I didn't actually think that far ahead-"

"Well, it's probably my fault for not thinking about it in the first place. Just when I thought I had all the usual problems accounted for! This was really an eye-opener. Frankly, I'm amazed that you lost against Falkner, the way you battled."

"Why are you hiding?"

The unexpected voice made me squeak, but when I turned around, all I saw were Alex and Tony, watching me with twin hawk-like gazes.

Alex spoke again. "Why are you hiding? Is there something extremely scary around the corner, little Dewy Dewdrop?"

"N-no, I just-"

The dark-haired boy smirked. Tony, however, merely gave a sigh of exasperation before walking off towards the two trainers, still deep in conversation.

"Wait, hold on. What are you doing?" I reacted by instinct, my thinking going somewhere along the lines of: Alex equals trouble. Tony ran with Alex, so he was also trouble. Ergo, I sprung out of my hiding spot, and if Warren and Bugsy weren't surprised by Tony's sudden appearance, they sure would be now.

"Dew?" Warren asked curiously as his gaze flicked over from Tony's face to mine. It seemed that the older boy had successfully stopped their conversation and drawn everyone's attention.

"My apologies for interrupting your conversation," Tony said amicably, tilting his head towards Bugsy. "However, there is a business proposition I must speak to you about." As he said this, his gaze landed squarely on Warren, leaving no doubt as to whom he was addressing.

"Me?" Warren looked thoroughly befuddled by this sudden proclamation.

However, before Tony could launch into the specifics of his proposal, a loud grumble echoed throughout the small room, attracting our attention. And the source of the noise was none other than Alex, who blinked a while before realizing everyone was looking at him. He puffed himself up as best as he could, looking like an indignant Vileplume.

"What? I haven't eaten all day!" He shot a glare at me, as if somehow that was my fault.

A smaller grumble followed soon after. This time, it was Warren who grinned sheepishly.

"Let me guess, too busy catching wild pokemon that you forgot about breakfast?" I asked, all too aware that a bit of my resentment had made itself present in the sarcastic tone of my voice.

"Y-yeah. Sorry about that. I was just so eager to fight a gym challenge now, you know?" Warren fiddled with his cap nervously, as if that gesture could soothe his nerves.

Surprisingly, it was Bugsy who spoke next. "If that's the case, why not we discuss the details after we grab lunch?"

There was a flicker of tension through the room as our gazes flicked over each other. From the way Bugsy phrased it, I knew that he was extending an invitation to all of us- even Alex and Tony. I had spent the whole morning being egged into a gym battle by Alex and I had no desire to be any longer in their presence. Still, when I glanced back at Warren, he gave me a small shrug, as if saying, "What could it hurt? After all, how many trainers get to eat lunch with a gym leader?"

Apparently, Alex and Tony came to the same conclusion, and we all gave small nods of assent.

"Great," Bugsy said with a grin. "I know a place where they serve the best of the local Azalean delicacies, and it's not too far away too."

I hesitated a bit, thinking that the last thing I wanted was to impose on the gym leader of Azalea, of all things, when Alex, being Alex, sprung into action.

"Do they have that famous Roasted Farfetch'd Leek Stew I keep hearing so much about?"

"Probably." Bugsy smirked slightly at Alex's enthusiasm. The boy let out a whoop of joy before dashing out of the front gates in a show of enthusiasm.

"I wonder how long it'll take before he realizes he has no idea where he's going," Tony mused.

Warren shrugged. "Probably until the cows come home. We should probably get him back."

"Good idea," Tony muttered with a soft sigh of exasperation. "That boy's sense of direction is strangely lacking."

* * *

Next: A deal is struck, and Mauve decides to show Dew that her pokemon are more than they first appear.

I tried to make this chapter seem more fluid in terms of the battle, as compared to Dew's yell-attack-yell-attack, in order to show the contrast between her and Warren as trainers. Not... sure if I suceeded though... And before anyone points it out, roasted stew does not a good recipe make. Unless you roast the thing seperately before stewing it. But that would just sound disgusting, honestly.

So, like, it'd be nice to get 30 reviews. I'm not telling you to review, but honestly, 30 reviews for 18 chapters is divisible by three, and it just looks nicer that way... *cough*


	19. Potential

YAY 30 REVIEWS. IT IS A MULTIPLE OF 3 AND 10. However 19 is a prime number... which makes me feel sad for some reason. And no, I am not OCD about numbers. I think. Things just look more organized when they're not prime numbers... But back to the topic at hand, thank you for your encouragement, guys. I really appreciate it, and it really makes writing this fic more worthwhile.

Totally used Bulbapedia for this chapter. Ah, Bulbapedia, how I love thee.

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Potential

Despite Tony's fears that Alex would get helplessly lost in the small village, it took less than a few minutes for us to catch up to the other boy and be on our way. Bugsy was right- the little restaurant he led us to served way better food than the usual gruel from the pokemon center, and I finally got to taste the 'Roasted Farfetch'd Leek Stew' that Alex kept raving on and on about (It wasn't exactly to my taste since I realized Farfetch'd meat tended to have a gamey aftertaste, but the dark-haired boy had somehow finished three bowls of it in the time it took for me to finish mine). Frankly, though, I was just glad that I wouldn't have to survive off gruel for a while, since I actually had money- for once.

"So what's this proposition of yours?" Warren asked, setting down his chopsticks.

Tony paused to dab his mouth with a napkin before responding. "Straight to the point, I see."

I exchanged a glance with Bugsy- the atmosphere, while it wasn't exactly warm and comforting with Alex around, suddenly seemed to quiet down. Warren had his battle face on, as if he was expecting whatever Tony said to be extremely bad or something, and Tony was as cool as a cucumber. Alex, however, completely ignored us and was on his fourth bowl of stew.

"What are your intentions after leaving Azalea?" Tony asked calmly.

Warren hesitated, his eyes flicking over to me in askance. I shrugged in reply.

"Well," he began cautiously, "we were thinking of travelling around Johto to collect the gym badges. I intend to compete in the Pokemon League. Family honor and all that."

"An admirable goal," Tony said, though from his tone of voice, I knew he didn't completely buy it. "You intend to pass by Olivine City, then?"

Warren shrugged. "Well, it does have a gym."

"Then this works out well enough."

"My turn to ask a question," Warren spoke up, resting one elbow on the table. "Just what exactly do you want us to do? And don't look so smug- I haven't agreed to anything yet."

Tony chuckled. "Simple request really. I just want to tag along with you, Alex included of course, until you reach Olivine. I've got to get onto a ship to Sinnoh, and travelling alone these days is dangerous, even for pokemon trainers, and as you can see, especially in Johto."

Bugsy nodded silently at my side. I could see the logic of it- after the attacks on Azalea and Goldenrod, the message was clear enough: Nowhere was safe, and disaster could strike at any moment, any time. It was best to keep your allies close.

"I take it that's why you took him along?" Warren asked, jerking his head towards Alex, who was well onto his fifth bowl by now.

"Naturally- Alex's dad is an old family friend and after some persuasion, he agreed to accompany me on my journey. But you're headed in the same direction, and probably will be leaving on the same day as us. It makes sense for us to team up." Tony hesitated. "If it's money you want, I can pay you."

Warren shook his head. "I'm a pokemon trainer, not a bodyguard. I don't expect to be paid for travelling." He hesitated for a moment. "But, Dew-"

I shook my head silently, seeing what he was suggesting, but Tony seemed to pay no heed. "I'm not asking this of her, Brightly, I'm-"

"Asking me, I know." Warren shot a reassuring smile in my direction before turning back to Tony. "But her father's in the hospital, and she needs money to pay off his bills. I'm not asking you to pay me, but if you do this, I'll- we'll- travel with you until Olivine."

There was a flicker of emotion in Tony's eyes, and his gaze flicked between the two of us before finally settling down on his empty soup bowl. "You drive a hard bargain. But it is... acceptable."

"Shake on it?" There was a spark of humor in Warren's eyes as he said that, a wry smile tugging at his lips as he held out a hand.

"What?"

"Oh come on. Isn't it what all those stuffy businessmen do? 'Sides," Warren added, "I never got to hear your full name."

Tony arched an eyebrow as he took the offered hand. "Archimedes Anthony Archer," he said with a tiny sniff, somehow managing not to burst out laughing at the name. "For obvious reasons, I go by Tony. It's a pleasure doing business with you, Brightly."

Warren grinned. "Pleasure's all mine."

And ignored by us all, Alex moved on to his seventh bowl of stew.

* * *

After wondering just how much money Alex had in his pocket, we split up- Tony dragged Alex along to pick out supplies for 'our' upcoming trip, Bugsy returned to the gym after wishing us the best of luck (and promising Warren another battle if we ever swung into town again), and Warren and I headed back to the center.

Needless to say, I wasn't exactly happy with the way things turned out.

"We're travelling with them?"

Warren nodded. "Tony's right- it's safer that way. Don't forget, there's that psychic trainer stalking after us. We need as much manpower as we can get."

"But why them?" I scowled. I didn't like Alex or Tony before, and I had a feeling I would hate them by the time we reached Olivine.

"Because they offered." Warren shrugged. "Look, trainers don't usually travel together for long periods of time. Even less when there's no deal brokered between them. And you need the money, don't you? For your father?"

I sighed, knowing that Warren right. "Only for my father. But I don't like feeling indebted to them."

"You're not. I am."

"Warren-"

"Kidding!" Warren grinned brightly, one of the first genuine smile I had seen on him all day. "Look, I know you're not really into the whole 'travelling with Alex and Tony' thing, but it'll be alright. You'll get paid, we'll hit the gyms and take the badges, and on our way we might be able to find out more information as to what's going on. There's not going to be a major change in our plans, right? Besides, Tony seemed like a nice guy."

"Seriously?" I eyed Warren skeptically.

"Anybody who manages to live through the utter humiliation of being called 'Archimedes Anthony Archer' can't be all that bad," Warren smirked.

I giggled. "Says the boy whose last name is an adjetive."

"Who's calling names now, pokemon girl?"

We glared at each other as best as we could. I think I slipped up first, a giggle slipping out during a lapse of concentration, and suddenly we burst into a bout of laughter. I saw a few awkward villagers glance at us, and we quickly stiffled our giggles- but only until we were out of sight. Once we reached the pokemon center, we collapsed into a pile of giggling kids, much to the confusion and dismay of the on-call Chansey.

It was nice to have a friend.

* * *

It had been a tiring day, all in all, and by the time it was nine, I was exhausted. My wounded shoulder, while it had started to scab over, ached in reply to my weariness. It was all I could do to just make it to the showers after dropping my pokeballs off at the nurse's desk, and I was too tired to even bother combing through my tangled hair.

Thus, I was absolutely certain that the universe hated me when Mauve showed up.

"I need to talk to you," she said sternly, hands on hips as her silhouette blocked out the dim hall lights.

"Can't this wait?" I moaned. Warren had already fallen asleep on a sofa, Gnat snoring lightly by his side. His bagpack was being used as a pillow, one arm draped over the unconcious Venonat, his hat shielding his eyes from the light. He was already deep in dreamland, and I felt half-way there myself, swaddled in my sleeping bag and just about to drop off to sleep when she arrived.

"No," the old lady said, and though she was smiling, her tone brook no arguments.

Reluctantly, I stood up, casting one last, envious gaze at Warren and Gnat before following Mauve. Quite surprisingly, she led me to the nurse's desk, where she instructed me to pick up my pokemon before going outside. I did as she said, but all the time, I was wondering whether she was about to challenge me to a pokemon battle- to test my skill as a trainer. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance, and Mauve knew it too.

"Send out your Onix," she instructed me once we reached our destination- an empty field some distance away from the pokemon center, where the marks of previous battles lay scorched into the earth.

"What?" I thought I must have misheard, but Mauve gave me an impatient look and waved her hand.

"Your Onix. Let me see how it's healing."

I blinked. Nervously, I picked up Onix's ball from my belt. Quite honestly, apart from a quick feeding (still from a distance), I hadn't checked up on it at all. The nurse had said it was healing fine, and that analysis was fine by me. I had no intention on letting Onix out again- it made its intention pretty clear when it wanted to eat me the last time it came out. In fact, I had already been thinking of releasing it once we left Azalea- preferably somewhere far from human civilization and surrounded by water. A lot of water.

"Oh for heaven's sake, girl," Mauve broke in irritably after I had been staring at the pokeball for about five seconds or so. "Just send it out."

"You asked for it," I muttered under my breath, pressing the switch mechanism.

When Onix appeared, I got my first glimpse at the injury inflicted on it since the battle. Two long gashes ran down its body where Xatu's wings had torn into its rock skin; scars. The healing machine in the pokemon center could only do so much, after all.

Quite surprisingly, Onix didn't attack me on sight. In fact, it looked around, confusion written across its face. When it lay its gaze on me, I took a step back, certain that it would pounce again. However, quite against my expectations, it let out a confused rumble, flashed a hurt expression, and slithered away, as if trying to get a bearing on its surroundings. It didn't seem interested in eating me at all.

"Why didn't it-"

"Attack you?" Mauve stepped close to me, resting a gloved hand on my shoulder. She puffed out a stream of smoke, her eyes carefully watching as Onix started playing with an outlying rock, pausing to glance at me every once in a while. "It trusts you. After all, you saved its life."

_"What?"_

I paused, my mind racing as I tried to absorb what Mauve told me. It was true- I had saved Onix's life when I first caught it, and again when it was gravely wounded from the battle with Esper and I took it to the pokemon center. But those were spur-of-the-moment actions. I did what any other person would have done, so I never noticed the importance of it. _I_ never expected_ Onix _to notice, let alone push me up the list from 'prey' to 'master'.

"Pokemon aren't stupid, dear," Mauve said calmly, reading my confusion. "They aren't mindless beasts either. Onix, in general, are ridiculously hard to control for beginners such as yourself and aren't the brightest bulb of the bunch, but they are extremely loyal and honorable. Once you earn the trust of an Onix, they'll stick with you until it dies."

"Oh, great," I replied, numbly watching as Onix now decided to dribble the rock on its head.

Mauve grinned. "Normally Onix are a lot more ferocious and hard to win over, but that one's still just a youngster. He probably has a laxer standards."

"Wh-wait, what? You can tell all of that in just a glance?"

Mauve arched an eyebrow. "No longer than fifteen feet in total length, probably only twenty years old or so."

"Twenty years old is a youngster?" I yelped, trying to imagine Onix following me for the rest of my life. I would have nightmares about that later, I was sure.

"Of course." Mauve smirked at my surprise. "They're known to live up to two-hundred years or more, and that's without them evolving."

"Evolving?" I had never heard of Onix evolving. Ever. The thought that the rock pokemon I had was still a youngster, and a pre-evolved pokemon at that, made me worried. What would it be like if it actually did evolve? Would it try to eat me again?

In reply, Mauve tossed a pokeball into the air, releasing what seemed to be another Onix- only when I got a closer look at it, I realized that its skin was covered in steel, not stone, and its head was flatter and more wide, with its lower jaws sticking out from its mouth. It was huge- almost twice the size of my own Onix. Quite expectedly, Onix seemed a bit surprised at the new pokemon's apperance, and seemed to lose its balance a bit. The new pokemon let out a low rumble, and I thought I could hear a hint of amusement in its voice. Perhaps it knew that it had caught both our attentions, because it gave a disdainful little sniff at Onix and didn't even care to glance in my direction.

"Budew, meet Steelix." Mauve's smirk grew wider. "He's a little bit proud, but that's practically a norm for the species. He was my first pokemon. He evolved when I was thirteen."

I gaped at Mauve, speechless. Even my internal dialogue had stopped.

Onix, for his part, seemed intrigued by the newcomer, going up to sniff it tentatively before letting out a small, rumbling question. In return, the Steelix eyed him with cool eyes, sizing him up before issuing another rumble. Whatever it said, it seemed to boost Onix's spirits, and it picked up the boulder it was playing with and held it up to the Steelix.

"He... looks almost like a Growlithe," I found myself saying.

"Hmm. Do they? I don't exactly see the similarities between them, but certainly, they do act like that from time to time."

We stood there for a time, watching Onix and Steelix play with the boulder. Well, it was more like Onix playing with it and showing it to Steelix ever so often, but that wasn't exactly the point. It was starting to sink in that Onix wasn't about to kill me the next time I opened his pokeball. At least, I think it was a he, based on what Mauve said.

Feeling slightly braver at the thought, I stretched out a hand and called, "Onix, come here."

The rock pokemon perked up at the sound of my voice. It glanced curiously in my direction before slithering over, boulder still in its jaws. Dropping it at my feet, it let out a curious rumble before nudging my hand with its nose. I felt my heart skip a beat at the contact- Onix's skin wasn't smooth as steel, but it wasn't cold and brittle either. Instead, it felt like a rough wall that had been gently heating under the afternoon sun. Up close, its head was easily twice (no, thrice) the size of mine, but its dark eyes were completely guileless, as if it truly held no animousity towards me. When it breathed, warm air rushed over my face, damp, moist, and smelling of stones.

"Grrooo?" Onix rumbled a question, nudging my outstretched hand again.

"You look like you're about to cry," Mauve noted.

"S-sorry," I stammered, blushing with embarrasment. If it were Warren, he'd be exclaiming with excitement that he had tamed one of his pokemon. Actually, no, if it was Warren, his pokemon would already be tamed. "It's just that, well, the past few times I've met Onix, I thought he was trying to eat me, or he hated me, or something-"

"Impossible," Mauve stated in a lazy tone. "Onix only eat boulders. Rocks, dirt, what have you. They have no interest in humans."

"Wh-what?" I blinked. "Then why-"

"They're a proud species," the old lady repeated with a tiny shrug. "They don't like being disturbed, let alone having someone controlling them. Like I said, they're hard to control for new trainers. I remember when Onix tried to kill me when I first got it, thinking that I wasn't worthy of being its trainer or some sort."

"What did you do?"

"Ran like a Pidgey," Mauve snorted with a grin. "Then I caught a Shroomish and knocked it around until it decided to obey me a bit."

"Oh." I blinked. That did sound like something Mauve would do. It was scary to think that ten year old Mauve was that capable, as compared to well... me.

"You don't trust your pokemon, do you?"

I blinked, looking away from Onix's large face and into Mauve's.

"To be honest, dear, I don't even think you should continue on your journey." Mauve smiled gently, but there was something oddly terrifying about it. "You're being pursued by another trainer- and worse than that, a killer. You're ten, away from your family, and up till a week ago you didn't even know what a pokemon battle was. And even now- you don't trust your pokemon to obey you, let alone fight for your protection. Do you even understand how heavy the risk you're taking is?"

"Well, I did almost get killed yesterday," I muttered snidely. Steeling my nerves, I returned her gaze. "But I can't turn back now. My family... we barely had enough money to make ends meet to begin with. If I quit, if I stop being a trainer, I don't know what we'll do with Dad's hospital fees- and even then, Esper would still come after me anyways. At least as a trainer, I stand a chance at beating her- someday. Even if my pokemon don't like me. Even if I have to force them to listen to me through brute strength alone."

"Really thought this one out, haven't you?" Mauve chuckled gently. "I guess I can't blame you for feeling like that."

"Mauve-?"

"Listen." She puffed on her pipe, blowing the smoke out gently. "That badge you're wearing on your shirt makes you a pokemon trainer now. And regardless of how you feel, you can't call yourself a trainer if you don't trust your pokemon. The journey you're about to undertake is going to be extremely hard, mentally and physically. The only people you can trust out there, Budew, aren't people at all."

"I'm travelling with Warren," I pointed out.

"And if you get seperated? Or worse, what if he's injured again?" Mauve raised an eyebrow. "Yes, you're quite the talk of the town- a lone girl dragging her injured travelling companion through the Union Cave, getting attacked by a pokemon she can't fight, and capturing and taming it at the same time. That wouldn't have happened if you didn't have pokemon at hand. Pokemon you can count on to bail you out."

"We're not friends," I muttered, thinking back at the way Mareep all-too-eagerly tried to shock me after the gym battle.

"I never said you were," Mauve agreed. "But a trainer and his pokemon have an unshakeable bond- perhaps not of friendship, but definitely of trust. In order to be a good pokemon trainer, dear, you have to be able to put your life in the hands of your pokemon without hesitation, and you have to teach them to put their lives in yours." She smirked slightly and nodded towards Onix, now rubbing its head against my hand. "I'd say you've made the first steps of progress, wouldn't you?"

I stared at her for a moment before blurting out the question that had been bugging me the whole time. "What is it that you wanted to talk about, Mauve?"

"Girafarig."

I winced. I had been painfully aware that I had not let the psychic pokemon out of its ball apart from feeding the whole day, and I was still hesitant to let it out- I still remembered the Gardevoir's thunderbolts dancing around as Girafarig shot a glare at me and shut my entire body down. But that couldn't have been what Mauve wanted to talk about, did she?

"You said that it healed itself in the middle of battle?"

"Yes," I answered slowly. "Why?"

A puff of smoke, then a soft sigh. "That Girafarig is special, Budew."

"Huh?"

Mauve smiled slightly. "A Girafarig with Wish is hard to come by- one might say that they do not even occur in the wild."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" My mind was racing. Wish- that was the attack that healed Girafarig and caused Esper to retreat from battle, but what did that have to do anything? I was confused, and quite honestly, I was starting to get annoyed about my lack of knowledge in all things pokemon.

"Your Girafarig was born in captivity," Mauve explained. "The product of a complicated process in breeding pokemon, in order to pass down moves and traits from the parents. It's a little known process, but in the right circles, that Girafarig would fetch a hefty sum. The fact that it knows Wish confirms that. And that fact alone means that it is more than just random coincidence. Nobody would leave a pokemon of that kind of breeding pedigree out in an accident. Moreover, this means one thing: Whoever gave you that Girafarig must have a Girafarig, the parent, of their own."

"I don't know anybody with Girafarigs," I said with a frown.

"No?" Mauve sighed. "Well there goes another lead. Still, there is more to it than just that. That Girafarig you have- it's been brought up by humans. It's tamed, and easily controlled. A valuable asset in any team, to be sure, but even more valuable if you can earn its trust."

She sighed, withdrawing Steelix."I've been keeping my eye on you, Budew. You've got a wonderful team of pokemon, some of whom are willing to risk hide and hair for you. But if you don't prove to me- no, to_ them_- that you are deserving of that trust, you will never become as good as you could be. Do you understand?"

I nodded slowly, but kept my eyes on Mauve. "Why do you care?"

The old lady shrugged. "I've seen too many trainers in my day mis-use their pokemon, only to wind up dead later, whether by the hand of wild pokemon, or by their own. I've seen you fight before, and the fact that you wear the Azalean Gym Badge proves that you have the potential to be a pokemon trainer. No, a pokemon master." Her gaze, focused on Steelix's pokeball in her hand, seemed gentle for once, almost wistful. With a sigh, she placed it back on her belt. "I suppose I don't want to see such potential wasted."

"Thank you," I managed, unsure of what else to say.

"Don't thank me," Mauve said as she turned to leave. "Listen to me, and take my advice. Then prove to me that I wasn't wrong about you."

I stood there for a long time after that, mulling over Mauve's words. All the while, Onix sat by my side, as quiet and gentle as can be.

* * *

He watched them for a moment, a flicker of nostalgia in his heart as the girl recalled her Onix and moved away. He remembered what it was like to be a starting trainer, with nothing but a Bulbasaur to count on. Those first few weeks were the toughest- when he had been trying to get the hang of all this training stuff, with his rival constantly getting in his way (not that he minded too much), and the thought of being a Pokemon Master shining foremost in his thoughts. It wasn't until later that he would truly understand what he was up against, and even now, looking back in his memories, he could only wonder how in the world had he been truly that naive.

_"That's the girl?"_

The presence by his side seemed a bit miffed by the thought. He smiled reassuringly at the psychic pokemon and shrugged. After all, despite her inexperience and complete naivete, children, he knew, were quick to adapt and learn. It was why the official age for pokemon training was ten years old- any lower and they would be liable to injury; but any older and they would be caught in a stigma.

_"She doesn't look like she could survive a strong wind, let alone that Onix."_

The teenage boy adjusted his cap. His partner was perpetually second-guessing others; understandable, he supposed, given what psychic pokemon were capable of doing. Quite honestly, he had been surprised when he learned that a kid- this kid- had survived the collapse of the Union Cave, only to end up entangled in some battle with a trainer far out of her league. (It wasn't as if the villagers had anything else to talk about, or so it seemed.) It sounded like destiny had it in for her. Or Arceus, as the case may be. That was the fate of pokemon trainers, though, wasn't it?

Anyways, he thought, glancing up to the sky, he had overstayed his welcome. Curiousity, on his part, at how the world had fared in his absence might have been to blame. But he had a more urget mission to attend to, and he wasn't about to let his curiousity get in his way.

With a last, satisfied nod, he turned away from the small outlook, and set his sights into the vast horizon. His companion eyed his departure with a relieved flick of the tail and trailed after him, ready to leave as soon as he gave the word.

Beyond the verdant Ilex Forest, he could see the plains and towns that made up the route from Azalea to Goldenrod, the blue sky hanging overhead, with the sea coming in from the west. It looked peaceful, just like he remembered it, but he knew that it was not so. Somewhere, out there, lay the cause of all this misery, and he was determined to find it. And stop it, before that tiny speck of dust grew into a cloud of chaos that would engulf the whole region.

After all, that was the duty of the Pokemon Master.

* * *

Next, the group departs for Goldenrod. However, Budew is pretty certain she's being haunted by a ghost as they make it through the Ilex Forest.

Whew. Despite me thinking that this chapter would barely hit the 3,000 word mark, it managed to jump past the 4,000 work mark. And yes, mystery stranger dude will appear later again. Somewhere. When I feel like pulling him out again. Yay Deux Ex Machina! Feel free to guess his identity- I think I pretty much dropped heavy hints in there.


	20. Uncertainty

... Originally, this chapter was only 3,500 words long. Then I realized I wanted to add two plot points and then I came with my plot needle and it went to just short of 5,000 words. And that's only with one plot point put in- I forgot the other one. Darnit, why do the best ideas come only when I'm half-asleep on the bus? I'll probably add it in later, when I remember it or somesuch. Although it probably won't affect my beloved Plot... much.

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Uncertainty

"So, you've gotten your first gym badge."

"Yup." The display of the videophone flickered slightly, but there was no distorting the image of Dad's face. My heart twisted slightly at the sight of him- he looked haggard, and pale, and I could see the IV drip from the corner of the display. He was still bedridden, but I was thankful for once that the hospital had videophones in every room, or else I might not even have the chance to see my father. And while it hurt to see him like this, it made me feel happy at the same time to know that he was alive and safe. And also more than just a little sad.

"Was it a tough battle?" Dad sipped the green tea in front of him. Even though his body was weak, his voice was still calm and strong as ever. In fact, he sounded almost disinterested by it all.

"Yes. I only won through sheer luck." I wasn't about to tell him that Bugsy had considered _not_ giving me the Hive Badge because of my own weakness. Dad never liked weaknesses, of any sort.

He frowned, perhaps sensing that I wasn't telling him everything, but nodded slowly.

"So, you've been good? No trouble so far?"

"Nothing big." I was well aware that I had crossed from the 'half-truths' territory to 'blatant lying' by now. But like I told Mauve, I couldn't afford to go home. Not now. And if Dad had even the scarcest inkling of what happened down here, he would drag me home with a vice-like grip before I had the chance to even point out that his legs weren't working any longer.

More than once, I was glad that Azalea didn't have a local newstation. By the time the reporters got here, we would be long gone, and by the time the news reports about Esper's attack started airing, the facts would be so convoluted nobody would be able to tell truth from lies. One more thing I was glad Dad didn't know.

"That's good, then."

There was an awkward pause and we stared at each other for a moment, trying to figure out what to say next. Out of the corner of the display, I saw Delilah yawn loudly. I had no idea how, but Dad had somehow persuaded the hospital staff to let the fire pokemon in. Or maybe he just stared at them, like he was staring at me now.

"So, I'll send over the money by tomorrow-" I began slowly.

"How much of it?" Dad asked brusquely, eyes suddenly narrowed.

"All?"

"Unacceptable. I won't take more than ten percent of your earnings."

"Dad!"

"I mean it, Budew. That money should be saved up for your own future." There was that hard look in his eyes again.

I bit back a sigh. "I worked hard to earn this money for you. I won't let you suffer in squalor and have the hospital bills eat up your own life savings. You know that there hardly isn't enough left to feed you, let alone support a business."

"Fine, twenty-five percent. Being a trainer requires more money than your usual lunch money."

"Eighty. I've got more money than I know what to do with."

"Fifty."

"Sixty-five, and that's my final offer."

We glared at each other, testing to see whose will would break first. Quite surprisingly, Dad sighed in defeat. (I suppose that my guess of him not having enough money was right after all.) There was a quiet nod from him, nothing more, just simple acceptance of the fact.

And then another awkward pause.

I scratched my head, watching as Delilah scratched her ears on the screen before glaring at me.

"Um, well, we're headed to Goldenrod now."

"Goldenrod, eh?" Sip. Sip. Sigh. "It's a big city. Will you be fine with only the Brightly boy?"

"Warren's trustworthy enough," I answered. "And we're going with... friends." I wasn't quite sure how else I could describe Alex and Tony. 'Bully' and 'Arrogant Glasses Guy' didn't seem to promote my cause.

"You never really had any friends in elementary school."

"No," I agreed.

Another awkward pause. Odd. I never seemed to recall that many awkward conversations with my Dad before.

"Listen- if you ever have any trouble, need any advice or anything-"

"I'll call," I nodded readily. "The same goes for you too, Dad."

He smiled- or at least, tried to. There was an odd twitch in the corner of his lips before they fell down again, just as serious as ever.

There was a small _click_, and the display went dark. I sighed- there wouldn't be any other civilization on the journey to Goldenrod, so for what it was worth, that was the last time I would 'see' Dad for a while. Somehow, I didn't imagine it would be so... depressing.

It wasn't until I replaced the phone on the machine that I realized we never once mentioned pokemon at all.

* * *

I woke up early the next morning, or rather, I wasn't able to sleep for long when a not-so-subtle electric shock from Mareep's pokeball woke me up. Luckily, nobody else noticed when I yelped in surprise at the sudden awakening- or if they did, they ignored it. Not that I stayed to find out- instead, I rushed out of the pokemon center as fast as I could (Mareep's pokeball sizzling with more electricity with every passing minute) and hurled the pokeball as fast (and far) that I could.

"Maaa," the electric sheep bleated angrily upon release.

I was befuddled at first as to what Mareep could possibly want, until it started poking its nose into my bagpack, as if it were looking for something-

"Are you hungry?" I asked pathetically.

"Maa!"

I winced slightly at the fury in its voice, but tried to hold my ground. "W-well, you should have eaten more for dinner then, if you were going to get hungry this early in the morning-"

"Maa-reep!" Sparks crackled through the air, cutting me off short. I hesitated for but a moment before giving in to the sheep's demands, reaching into my bagpack and yanking out a piece of bread as quick as I could. Almost immediately, I felt the weight of Mareep plow into me- and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground, watching Mareep's tail swish tauntingly in front of me as it munched on the newly-bought loaf of bread.

It was only afterwards, when I released the rest of my pokemon for breakfast, that I realized that Mareep could have eaten the grass under its feet if it wanted to.

"Spoiled little sheep," I muttered.

"Maaa," Mareep bleated happily.

"Grrooo?" This was the first time Onix was eating breakfast with the rest of my pokemon, so it was naturally confused as to why Mareep was eating something different from the rest of them- and possibly why I had four little footprints stamped into my shirt and a scowl on my face.

"Gii," Girafarig neighed, answering Onix's question. Whatever it said, it appeased the rock pokemon, as it turned back to eating the scattered pebbles I managed to find around. It had been tedious work, but frankly, I was just thankful I wouldn't have to haul a large load of pokemon food with me. Besides, rocks weren't exactly rare around here, were they?

Luckily, Girafarig and Zubat were small eaters, which meant that my money would be able to last us a bit longer- at least for a few weeks, so we were in no danger of dying from starvation. Still, it felt odd for someone like me to be thinking about food supplies for more than one person, and more than a few days. In fact, if it weren't for Warren taking me on a shopping spree yesterday, I would have totally forgotten about doing so. And was I ever glad that I had challenged the gym yesterday- pokemon food was expensive. But as I watched my pokemon eat, I realized that the feeling of peace and camaderie that I felt was worth every single cent spent. Even if Mareep was zapping anyone who got near and Onix was still bewildered as to why it was in the midst of other pokemon.

"You look content."

I blinked. Somehow, without me noticing, I found Kurt standing by my side, his perpetual frown lifted slightly from his face. There was a grocery bag in his hand, but it didn't detract from the aura of severity that constantly hung around him.

"I feel content," I replied, when I noticed him glancing at me for an answer.

"That's good," he nodded sagely. "You... youngsters are rarely content. Always striving to be the best in everything. It's good that, every once in a while, you take the time to rest. It clears the mind and helps you prioritize on what you need to do."

"Thank you, I guess?"

Kurt shook his head, a thin smile appearing on his lips. "I should be the one thanking you. Maisy told me everything."

"And you believe her?"

Kurt stared at me, his eyes serious as always. "I believe that you protected my grand-daughter and her Slowpoke. I also believe that it wasn't just mere chance that led you to do so. To think otherwise would be an insult to her and to you."

"That's more faith than I feel comfortable with, really," I muttered, instinctively touching my wounded shoulder.

"Do you know what dwells- _dwelled_- within the shrine in Ilex Forest?" Kurt asked, calmly watching me.

I blinked. I had thought something was in there, back when I first saw it, but after everyone else had dismissed Suicune and Esper as a figment of my imagination (except for Mauve and Warren), I had doubted whether that feeling of warmth- that source of power- had been real or not. But now that Kurt was here, telling me that yes, I was right...

"Was it Celebi?" I asked, recalling how Warren had exclaimed that it was the reason Esper attacked Ilex.

Kurt nodded slowly. "It's been centuries since people have seen it, so many have dismissed its existence as mere folklore. But for those lucky few, such as myself..." His voice drifted off, and he sighed heavily. "The fact that it chose you- out of all the people in Ilex that day- to save my grand-daughter must mean something, surely."

"Whoa, hold on a minute," I blurted out, the words tumbling out of my mouth even before I knew what I was saying. "You can't seriously be suggesting that _Celebi_- a _legendary_ pokemon- trusted _me_ to save your grand-daughter and dragged me into that fight with Esper!" I gestured at my arm. "I almost got killed for that!"

"To which I owe you my thanks." There was a ghost of a smile on Kurt's face as he turned to face me. "You are a brave young lady, Budew. I think that is why Celebi chose to show its power to you, and why Suicune allowed itself to be seen by you."

"You're even believing the Suicune thing!"

"How can I not, when my grand-daughter talks non-stop about it?" I was horrified- there was a definite upturn in the corner of his lips. Kurt was _smiling._

"Here, a token of my thanks," Kurt said, pressing something round, smooth and cold into my hand as I gaped at him, my mind scarcely comprehending what was going on. "If you ever find yourself in Azalea again, know that my house will be open for you." He nodded once, then set his features into his trademark frown and walked away, grocery bag swinging easily in his hands.

I remained utterly stunned until Girafarig decided to nudge me to check if I was still alive. In fact, I was so stunned that I fell over when it pushed me.

"Gii?" The psychic pokemon towered worriedly over me as I stared up at it from the comforting, solid ground.

"I'm fine," I muttered, blinking away my surprise. Lifting my hand, I took a glance at what Kurt had given me.

"Gii?" Girafarig nudged the object curiously, as if wondering what it was. I almost smiled. It was strange-looking, with a green cover cap and a weird engraving above the switch mechanism, but there was a personal touch to it, something calm and serious in the taste of its design. It seemed almost like a good reflection of Kurt himself. And in a way, it was the best way he could have shown his gratitude. Even if it was kinda strange.

"Well," I replied to my curious pokemon, "Mauve did say he was a famed pokeball maker."

* * *

We left as the sun began peaking over the horizon, though the density of the trees made it hard for the sunlight to pierce through the shadows of the Ilex Forest. I had felt unnerved that we were going back here so soon, but Warren quickly explained that this was the only way from Azalea to Goldenrod.

"Besides," he added, flashing a smile, "neither the psychic trainer or Suicune are here right now, and there are four of us. We'll be just fine."

"Famous last words," Tony muttered from the front.

Warren and I exchanged a look.

"Guess he's not a morning person," I ventured.

"Guess not," Warren agreed.

"Nat nat veno veno," Gnat squeaked, nestled within Warren's arms.

Warren grimaced. "You're nocturnal to begin with," he muttered.

"You can understand what he's saying?" I asked. This wasn't the first time Warren had responded to Gnat as if they were carrying on a conversation, and I was curious whether it was actually a side-effect of growing up with the Venonat, or whether Warren just simply had a natural empathy for these sort of things.

"Nope," Warren admitted, happily crushing my theory. "Not a clue. But it makes life much more interesting to imagine that he could be saying something."

I sighed. In reply, Gnat let out a series of sounds.

"You try deciphering words that sound nothing more than three syllables being repeated over and over, then," Warren retorted, glaring at the little purple furball.

"Nat venonat," Gnat replied, somewhat smugly.

"Are you quite certain he's not telling you to shut up?" Tony snarked from somewhere up front. He didn't even bother turning around.

Warren and I exchanged a glance. He opened his mouth to say something, but after a hesitant glance at Tony's retreating back, he shut it and gestured that maybe we should hurry on ahead. I nodded in agreement.

Our progress after that was mostly silent. Neither Tony or Alex ventured to say much, save for a 'watch your step' or 'careful, there's a tree there' every now and then. Quite honestly, there was a sense of unease hanging overhead. More than once, I caught Alex glancing back at me with a frown, as if he expected me to slip up somehow. Even when Tony did pause to ask for directions, I realized that he never once glanced in my direction. I suppose that was to be expected- they probably didn't like me just as much as I didn't like them. I had a sneaking suspicion that Warren must have realized the same, as he kept frowning the more we progressed, but thankfully, after a few glances in my direction, he said nothing.

It took us about an hour to reach the clearing where the shrine once stood. It felt odd to stand in a place where you once fought a hard-won battle, only to realize that it looked so different. The destroyed shrine had been cleaned up by someone, with the random wood debris gone from the surrounding area; the only marking that a shrine once stood there being the stone steps that led up to it. The morning sunlight now filtered through the trees, driving away the shadows, and the water shimmered softly off in a distance. Yet, I didn't even need to concentrate to see the flashes of electricity dancing through the air as Gardevoir attacked, Esper weaving in and out of the shadows in front of me, to hear the cries of pain, or to remember the scent of my blood. My shoulder ached slightly.

"The forest gets deeper from here on out," Tony said, sitting down on a still-intact boulder. "I suggest we take a break before moving on."

"Good idea," Alex agreed, stretching his arms. He glanced at the lake and grinned. "Better fill your canteens before we go. The only water from here to Goldenrod is probably going to be salty, once we leave the forest."

I was reluctant to admit it, but what Alex said made sense. Based on the maps I saw in the pokemon center, the route to Goldenrod was a winding lane by the seaside, with no other sources of water nearby. I was about to do as he suggested when Warren held a hand out to me.

"I'll do it," he said with a smile. "You better rest for a bit. You look winded."

"Thanks," I replied, handing my canteen over to him. He was right- I hadn't exactly fully recovered from the whole "battle for your life" thing, and my stamina was never as good as Warren's to begin with. A comfortable patch of grass lay nearby, and gratefully, I sank into it. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tony watching me like a hawk, a faint disapproval visible in his eyes.

Stiffling the urge to hold his gaze, I looked away. I wasn't Tony's responsibility, and neither was he mine. Instead, I turned my attention to my surroundings.

It was oddly quiet.

Not the quiet that happens when night falls, or the quiet you feel when you're out in the countryside. I knew that kind of quiet, grew up with it. The quiet now was simply that- a lack of sound. No birds chirping, no wild pokemon cries. Just the rustling of the leaves in the wind. Yet, I didn't feel any danger, not like when Onix was glaring at me in the darkness of the Union Cave, or when Esper had pinned my arm under her heel. It felt eerie, yes, but just that.

I was still pondering the feeling when Tony announced that we should make a move on. He left without so much as a backward glance, Alex rushing to keep up with him. Falling in step, Warren and I took up the rear, walking at least two feet away from the boys in companiable silence.

And then the strange things started happening.

At first it was just a feeling that something was watching me from the shadows. I would feel eyes on my back, see little red spots watching out of the corner of my eye, only to turn and find nothing.

Maybe it was just wild pokemon, I thought, but then I felt something behind me- pulling my hair, or my bagpack, or my shirt. At first I dismissed it as the brush of the wind, except on the fifth time, when the presence yanked on my hair again- it hurt.

"Ow!" I turned around to face my tormentor- only to be met with empty air.

"Dew?"

"Is something the problem?" Tony asked.

"Uh, it's nothing," I muttered in reply, though I felt a shiver down my spine. Please, _please_, let it not be a ghost. Up front, Alex was giving me a condescending smirk and Tony's face was just set in its default disapproval.

"Try not to get too distracted," Tony said sternly before walking off.

Warren wasn't so easily persuaded. "What's wrong?" he persisted.

I bit my lip. I was half wondering whether I was just hallucinating, because it was dark and cold and the sunlight never managed to make it full through the trees, or my imagination was just that overactive-

"Um, Warren, are there any ghosts in Ilex Forest?" I blurted, hoping that I wasn't sounding like a silly little girl, that Warren wouldn't mock me for being a silly little girl that believed in ghosts.

And, just like any typical ten year old boy, Warren laughed.

"Ghosts?" he repeated, wiping a tear from his eye. "Ilex Forest doesn't even so much as have a single ghost pokemon, let alone an actual, real-life ghost!"

I found it quite silly that he would think that the lack of ghost pokemon would mean a lack of real ghosts, but before I could say so, he gave me a reassuring pat on my back.

"Besides, it's still light out. Ghosts don't come out until it's dark, right? Now, we gotta go catch up with Tony and Alex before they leave us behind."

I nodded reluctantly- what he said did make sense with what I knew about ghosts. But it didn't really look all too bright, now that we were deeper within the Ilex Forest. And I was positive that the presence was still there, watching- waiting. After debating with myself about the pros and cons of my decision, I decided to let Girafarig out.

"Giii?" It asked after looking around for any potential threats, uncertain as to why it was being called out.

Or that may have been because I had quite suddenly lost my footing and was clinging tightly to Girafarig's neck.

"I'm- I'm not scared of ghosts or anything!" I declared, seeing its soft brown eyes gazing quietly down on me.

Girafarig snickered, butting its head against mine. I found it quite annoying that even my own pokemon was telling me I was being silly. I just lost my footing. On the flat ground. That was all.

Nevertheless, Girafarig's presence must have driven the ghost away, because the odd feeling of someone watching me lifted as suddenly as that. Leaving Girafarig and myself to trail after the boys in complete silence.

"Faa-riiig," Girafarig neighed softly after a while.

"It's quiet, isn't it?" I leaned into the pokemon's soft fur. It wasn't as nice as cuddling Mareep (not that mine would even let me do that), but the warmth of another body was comforting in the absolute silence of the forest.

Girafarig nodded, its eyes darting back and forth as it scanned the surrounding area. Did it sense something amiss? I felt the muscles in its neck tense, and I saw that its tail was, likewise, scanning the forest for any sign of trouble. Four eyes, I supposed, made one more alert than your average pokemon. Added to its psychic power, I knew that if something was wrong, Girafarig would find it. But after a while, it relaxed its stance, nudging me half-heartedly away from its neck. It took a while, but reluctantly, I let go of its fur, shivering slightly as a sudden breeze blew past.

And watching me with mild amusement, Girafarig snickered softly, as if saying, "Well, do you see any ghosts?"

Now, I wasn't a childish ten-year-old kid. I was a pokemon trainer, with one badge to my name. So, like any respectable pokemon trainer, I stuck my tongue out at my pokemon.

Girafarig merely arched an eyebrow (a feat, if only for the fact that Girafarig did not look like it had eyebrows) before turning its attention on the path ahead, but I took full pride in putting my pokemon in its place. And I didn't sulk when Girafarig looked away. Far from it.

We walked in silence again, trailing slowly after Warren and the others. The forest was getting darker, with more trees obscuring the light. If it weren't for Girafarig, I would have been worried whether I was still going in the right direction, but the psychic pokemon never faltered in its step, easily keeping track of the others with its psychic powers.

"Hey, Girafarig-"

"Gii?"

I hesitated for a second, but Mauve's insistence for me to trust my pokemon pushed me to speak. "Why did you stop me from returning you to your pokeball back... then?"

There was no need to elaborate. I could see from the look in Girafarig's eyes that it knew exactly what I was talking about. But instead of responding to the question, it whickered and turned its gaze away from me. It was a dismissal, quick and simple.

My heart sank. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

It didn't turn to look at me, keeping its head up and alert, ears flicking every moment or so. And in my mind, my inner voice asked, _Why should it trust me? What reason did I ever give it to be trusted? I mean, yes, I'm its trainer, but only in name, right?_ Yet, at the same time, I knew that Girafarig didn't hate me. It obviously went above the call of duty to protect me, so it obviously cared for me somewhat. Didn't it?

But there was another possibility as to why Girafarig had put up with me for so long. After all, from what Mauve said, it wasn't a mistake that someone left Girafarig in the gym that day. And after thinking about the circumstances all night long, I finally figured out a possibility as to why Girafarig would continue to let me be its trainer- when it obviously had no intention on listening to my commands at all. "Did your previous owner ask you to protect me?"

There was a small flicker of surprise in its eyes, then a hesitant nod. "Gii."

"Do I... know this person?"

"Gii."

I paused. "Was it my Dad?"

"Farig." Girafarig shook its head, and I thought I glimpsed a flicker of relief in its eyes.

Well, there went my theory. Dad was the only person that cared about me- after all, apart from my father, I had no other living relatives (or if I did, I never met them, or they were off in Orre or something). And I had a hard time imagining anybody else trying to protect me. Even Mareep seemed reluctant to do that. Then again, maybe it was Mauve? Or maybe some other trainer I had met before?

I sighed, deciding that thinking about it was worth too much trouble.

Girafarig snorted in amusement.

"Do you... think I'm incapable as a trainer?"

There was a slight pause in Girafarig's step. The question had just been lurking in the corners of my mind, and quite on the spur of the moment, I had simply blurted it out. It felt odd to ask that of my starter, but I needed to know- whether it thought I was worthy of being its trainer, whether it thought I was worthy of its trust.

"Gii," it finally said with a small nod.

I bit my lip, but I tried not to let my dismay show. I had been expecting an answer like that, after all.

"I'm still your trainer, you know."

"Gii."

"So, will you listen to me in the future?"

Girafarig finally turned its gaze on me, calm and steady as always. There was a moment or so when I thought it was about to say something. But the psychic pokemon merely scrutinized me with its gaze, as if it were telling me something. Once more, I wished I had the easy empathy Warren had with his pokemon- but if a psychic pokemon like Girafarig wanted to tell me something, it would have.

But it didn't.

Slowly, as if coming to a hard decision, Girafarig turned around and walked away. And standing there, dumbfounded as I was, I felt as though the shadows around me had grown thicker, darker.

"Budew!" Tony's sharp call roused me from my thoughts. "Get a move on. We're not going to wait for you if you get left behind!"

* * *

Next: Tony gets a call and the detour leads to a run-in with even more trouble.

... Still searching for my lost plot point. It's somewhere around here. I know it is. Aaaaaaargh.

Anyway, if it suits you, please leave concrit. Or if you hate something, tell me. Or something. Or the ever so encouraging reviews are nice too.


	21. Danger

Real life is making a mess out of my schedule nowadays, and I didn't have a lot of time to look through this chapter. Hopefully this will blow over in a few months, if not the update speed will be getting even longer...

Sad note aside, here's the next chapter! Still a lull in the adventure, but don't worry- it's about to pick up real soon.

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Danger

We spent the rest of the day passing through the Ilex Forest, which took longer than we had thought. As we progressed deeper into the forest, the compass that Tony had been relying on started acting weird, spinning around in circles without giving us a real direction, and we had somehow lost track of the trail. I was totally convinced that this was the workings of some supernatural force, but Tony briefly explained the occurance away as the residual remains of the psychic power that twisted the forest two days ago- plus our own lacking of a sense of direction. I could tell that neither Warren or Alex bought it, but Tony was a fourteen-year-old boy who had probably studied more of the world than we did, so we didn't question him. Much.

Still, for a side-measure, I mentioned the 'residual psychic energy' theory to Girafarig, to which the psychic pokemon merely shrugged as best as it could. _"Sure, why not," _it seemed to say. _"It's not like I'm the one leading us through a deep, dark, and really scary forest. Besides, it's not like being psychic will help you now- I'm just as lost as you are." _

All I could do was to shake my head and wonder why I spent so much time listening to Warren. Girafarig just looked at me and sighed.

We spent another five hours wandering around in circles before Alex (somehow) managed to spot a really obscure landmark etched on our map and righting our sense of direction. And then we spent another two hours wandering around until we found ourselves lost (again), and in which Tony and Warren started arguing whether north was towards the left or the right. In the end, a frustrated Alex snatched the map away from Tony and stomped on ahead, leaving us to follow awkwardly in his footsteps. Oddly enough, and quite irritatingly too, the dark-haired boy managed to figure out the way without any hesitation- it was like he was a Pidgey, with an in-built compass in his brain.

Comparing Alex to a Pidgey made me laugh a bit, which then caused the boys to give me weird looks before Tony dismissed it as exhaustion and declared that we set up camp for the night. Personally, I was relieved because my shoulder was aching again and I would have to change the bandages soon... and Alex looked like he was about to punch something soon. And he kept giving these dark glares in my direction, as if he was wondering whether I would make a good punching bag. When I caught him doing so, he would turn away quickly, but not before I caught a glint of smoldering anger in his eyes. I doubted that he would actually hurt me- I had Girafarig out, and besides, Alex was only a ten-year-old kid. A brutal ten-year-old kid with pokemon, but still. Nevertheless, I kept close to Warren when we set up camp.

"So, why'd you let Girafarig out?" Warren asked as we bent over a pile of gathered firewood, attempting to fix it to some semblance of a campfire. It wasn't particularly easy- the weather had cooled considerably since the summer, and a light rain had fell earlier in the afternoon, making the wood wet and harder to set aflame.

"It's a good sentry," I replied cautiously, unwilling to mention the whole 'there's-a-ghost-in-the-forest-but-you-won't-believe-me' thing again. It was bad enough that my psychic pokemon was snickering over my shoulder as it caught that stray thought; I didn't need Warren following suit.

Warren snorted. "Maybe it can tell us what's messing up the compass so bad then," he said with a good-natured grin.

We paused for a moment, and glanced at each other. And in unison, we echoed, " 'Residual Psychic Energy'."

We stiffled our giggles when Tony shot a sharp glare in our direction, but that glimmer of good humor made me feel as though a heavy weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Likewise, Warren flashed me a lop-sided grin before trying to ignite the pile of branches we had collected from the forest.

I took a quick glance around camp. Alex was standing some distance away, watching his Bellsprout and Sandshrew spar against each other- training, I guess. Warren's bug pokemon were dozing in a tree as they waited for dinner, while Jaws sat curled up at its base, watching us with its beady eyes. Tony had made no move to release his pokemon, preferring to stand some distance away, looking more and more frustrated as he continued talking to someone on his pokegear. As for myself, I had no desire to let my obviously untrained and hard-to-control pokemon run free while there were others around, so they were left on my belt. I made a discreet note to feed them later after everyone else had gone to bed- the last thing I needed was for Onix to freak out when it was exposed to more strangers yet again.

"It's quiet today, don't you think?" Warren asked as he attempted to coax a flame out of the soddy pile of branches. He was right- even though the sun was already setting, there was still no sound of stirring, no sound of life apart for the moaning wails of the night breeze.

"It's kinda weird, actually," I muttered. "Are the wild pokemon hiding from Esper or something?"

"It _was _a lot noisier when I went to catch Spinner," Warren remarked, smiling slightly. "The wild pokemon weren't that numerous, but they definitely weren't hiding either. And that was the day directly after the attack."

"Do you think something's wrong, then?" I asked worriedly, catching Girafarig's eye. The psychic pokemon arched an eyebrow expectantly, as if it was just waiting for me to voice my doubts. Hesitantly, I added, "Like... a ghost?"

Warren gave me a look that was both amused and skeptical all at once. "You know that ghosts don't exist, right?" he asked patiently, like one would to a younger sibling or a baby.

"Most people say the same about legendary pokemon," I pointed out.

"Well, they're wrong, then," Warren said flippantly, blowing gently as a small flame ignited deep within the shell of branches.

"So why can't ghosts exist?" I countered.

"Because I'm not wrong about them existing," Warren retorted with a grin. "Why're you afraid for? If anything's out of place, Girafarig would tell you, won't it?"

Girafarig snorted in agreement, and I reminded myself ruefully that of course it would- it was its sole purpose for being here with me, after all. And true enough, ever since Girafarig's presence chased away the ghost earlier, I hadn't been bothered by it since. It didn't explain why the forest was so quiet, but I knew that whatever the case was, if there was any threat to my person, Girafarig would protect me. The fact that it hadn't raised the alarm yet must have meant something, surely.

"So what's for dinner?" If Tony had become the de facto leader, Warren had ended up as the cook. Not that anyone was complaining- when we first broached the subject with Tony, he death-glared us again and Alex went on talking about how awesome Roasted Farfetch'd Stew was. It by an unanimous consesus that Warren was, by all accounts, the best thing we had to a chef- at least he knew the difference between oran berries and pecha berries, and whether or not those random purple mushrooms we saw were edible (they weren't).

"Hold on a sec- oh, snap." Warren sighed, running a hand through his brown hair, a sheepish grin on his face. "I think I left my bagpack by the sleeping bags. Mind getting my stash of berries for me? And that dried jerky too, while we're at it."

I chuckled, stretching my limbs. "Sure. You better save me an extra portion later, though."

"Deal."

I made my way to the other edge of the camp, where we had haphazardly tossed our bagpacks earlier on while thanking Arceus for letting us stop for the night. Tony and Alex were a fair distance away, blatantly ignoring me, and I was completely alone. Or so I thought.

There was an odd sensation- nothing real, at first, but a feeling that something wasn't quite... right. I took a quick glance at Girafarig, who was now watching Warren frantically prevent the flame he had started from going out, and told myself that I was just being skittish. Ghosts didn't exist, after all, and besides I was at camp. Nothing ever happened at camp, not while everyone was awake.

I crouched down by Warren's bagpack. Warren, in his typical style, had just stuffed everything into his bagpack without any semblance of care or order. That said, it wasn't hard to find his stash of berries- Warren had left them in a small plastic bag tied to the bagpack, with berries filling up roughly half of the space, the other half being filled with an assortment of foodstuffs.

Muttering a curse against boys and their messiness, I reached to untie the plastic bag, only to suddenly feel- rather than see- something behind me.

I turned- only to find myself staring into deep, bottomless irises in disembodied, glassy white eyes.

Then, stretching out underneath those eyes, shiny white teeth arched in the shape of a grin.

"Boo."

I did the only sensible thing I could- I screamed and swung the nearest available thing at it, which just so happened to be the stash of Warren's berries. The next thing I knew, I felt something grab my shoulder, so I turned around, ready to attack with a bag of berries- only to suddenly be frozen in my step by those haunting eyes.

It was like when Girafarig had forced me to stay still- except this time, I was overwhelmed by a sense of fear that held me in place, rather than a psychic force. But I was utterly terrified at the thought of not being able to control my limbs, of being stuck like this for the rest of my life.

And then, quite suddenly, Girafarig's hooves smashed through the fog that made up the ghost's body, dissipitating it into thin air. The hold on my body, as well as the overwhelming sense of fear that I felt, disappeared in an instant. I fell to my knees- or rather, I tried to, except I found Girafarig had somehow slid itself under my left arm while Warren held onto my right.

"Are you alright?" Warren asked, his eyes peering worriedly at me. Numbly, I realized that he had pried away the berries from my fingers- it wasn't until he did so that I realized that I had been holding on to them as though my life depended on it, and maybe they did.

"Y-yeah," I muttered, getting back on my feet. He let go of my shoulder hesitantly, as if he was half-expecting me to topple over if a slight breeze were to blow by.

Girafarig neighed worriedly, as if it were expressing similar fears. In fact, I was positive that it was doing just that, considering that it refused to let go of my sleeve. I pet its nose reassuringly, but the psychic pokemon gave me a knowing stare. It knew that my heart was still rapidly beating against my rib cage in a desperate attempt to escape.

"What's going on here?" Tony suddenly burst into my vision, though to his credit, his usual disdain had been replaced with a worried frown. I suppose having anyone randomly swinging a plastic bag before nearly collapsing was enough to cause even the most cold-hearted commander to react somehow, and the screaming probably helped.

Warren, for his part, decided to stand up in my defense. "She saw something- a wild pokemon, probably-"

I shook my head. "It was a ghost," I stated firmly- or as firmly as one could while you were scared out of your wits. "It had glowing eyes and was floating and everything."

"Dew-" Warren began, only to be interrupted as Girafarig dropped hold of my sleeve and instead, nipped me gently on the ear before giving me a stern stare. It didn't say a thing, but somehow, I found its reprimand more effective in calming my nerves than Warren's explanations. _Calm down, _it seemed to be saying. _You're not making an ounce of sense._

Tony seemed to be of a similar train of thought. "Budew," he said in a stern, condescending tone, "I know that the forest looks scary, but it has yet to be scientifically proven that there's such a thing as ghosts. It was probably your imagination."

I was about to launch into a reply on ghost pokemon and legendaries, but catching Girafarig's glare, I figured it was best to keep my mouth shut. Instead, with the best dignity I could muster (which was not much), I muttered, "Sorry. Won't happen again."

The bespectacled teen gave me a knowing look, before nodding. "Warren," he said calmly as he walked away, "you can let go of her arm now. Budew says she's fine, and you probably should get back to preparing dinner."

"Stuffy prat," Warren muttered under his breath once Tony was out of hearing range.

"But he's right," I replied. "I'm... fine now. And you _do _have to go back to cooking."

Warren gave me a reluctant look, but seeing that I was determined, he heaved a sigh. "Fine. But you better stay close to Girafarig, okay? And you better take good care of her, Girafarig!"

Girafarig snorted, a bit miffed at the fact that he would even bother with the question. Warren smiled slightly before bounding off back to camp, where Jaws had crawled up to the cooking pot and was feasibly wondering what bubbling water was, but even though everyone else was so close, I felt so very alone. Out there, somewhere, I was positive that those eyes were still watching me, waiting for me to slip up once more. Likewise, Girafarig looked tense and alert, scanning the scene every few seconds, its tail swishing as it did likewise.

Nervously, I laced my fingers into Girafarig's soft fur, taking comfort in the warmth of its body. "Now do you believe me?" I muttered childishly.

Girafarig tilted its head to face me and nipped my other ear.

And standing a fair distance away, instead of watching his pokemon duke it out with each other, Alex was watching me with something akin to a scowl.

* * *

"We're making a detour tomorrow."

There was a second of silence following Tony's announcement. Partially because of the sheer suddenness of it, and also partially because Tony looked absolutely angry about it. Like, even angrier than when he disapproved of me accidentally tripping over a root earlier that day.

Warren was the only one brave enough- or foolish enough- to speak up. "A detour?"

"Yes, a detour." Tony sighed, tossing the remains of his meal- a beef-kebab with berries- into the fire. "I got a message from the research center in New Bark Town today. They want us- or rather, me- to check up on a day care center nearby. Apparently, the power went out nearby and they haven't had time to send over certain goods through. And, knowing the professor, it's absolutely imperative that I go there and pick up the stuff for them. Even if it's probably just another pokemon egg."

"You work with the research center?" Warren asked cautiously, looking up from dangling a gently roasted berry in front of Jaws' face. He didn't look too surprised though, at least until the ground pokemon ate his fingers.

"No," Tony said shortly, totally ignoring Warren and Jaws' antics. "Professor Elm is just my next-door neighbour. I do him a favor in return for the ones he does for me. Even if it is picking up pokemon eggs."

We exchanged a glance- I had no idea whether Tony was being sarcastic or not, and the irritated look on his face made any questions we were about to ask die on our tongues.

"Well, what's the harm, anyways?" Alex asked lazily, seemingly unperturbed by Tony's irritation. "I mean, it's on the way, and we could probably crash there for a while. Free food, warm beds, the works... Besides, I've never seen a real-life pokemon day care center before!"

"Day care center?" I echoed curiously.

I could see Alex and Tony give me irritated glares almost as soon as I said that. Laughing weakly, Warren slung an arm around my shoulder and tried to pretend that I wasn't getting stared at like a Weedle that somehow fell into a bowl of soup.

"It's where people bring their pokemon to be raised when they don't want to do it themselves," he explained. "Well, breeders mostly, though trainers go there from time to time. It's for the eggs, you see. For some reason, a lot of pokemon eggs come from day care centers."

"Eggs? But- how do they-"

Tony coughed delicately, though I could have sworn that there was a faint blush on his cheeks. "It's a... uh... very secretive process. Only breeders and professors know what exactly goes on behind those doors, and frankly, I doubt that whatever lurks inside is safe for your mind. Let's just say that a pokemon day care center is not a place for children. You might see something that will scar your mind. Forever."

"Oh." I blinked, processing the information. By my side, Alex was stiffling his laughter, snorting periodically. I wondered if I said something stupid.

But the more I thought about it- Girafarig was a bred pokemon, right? Did it come from a day care center, such as the one we were going to? Did that mean that someone there might know who exactly was the one who hatched Girafarig and raised it as their own before sending it to protect me? Mauve did say that it was hard to get a Girafarig like mine, so maybe someone might recognize it- the thought of finding out what Girafarig refused to tell me piqued my curiousity, and I wondered, just how bad could a day care center be, anyways? After all, humans sent their children to day care centers all the time, didn't they?

"A-anyway," Tony coughed again (I wondered whether he was coming down with something). "We better turn in early for tonight. I'd like to wake up as early as possible and get out of this blasted forest as soon as we can."

Everyone agreed, and quickly began cleaning up for bed. And all throughout, the silence of the forest didn't break.

* * *

I had no idea how relieved I felt about leaving the forest until we finally broke through the last few feet of trees, revealing an expense of rolling green plains with the sparkling blue sea off in a distance. Unlike Violet or Azalea, you could see pokemon wandering around easily- Rattatas scampered through the grass, while Drowzees lurked near small patches of trees, half-asleep, and wild Hoothoot perched on the branches with one foot tucked underneath their wings. We were standing on a hill that slowly descended into the plains, and from our vantage point, you could see the small villages and buildings that popped out every now and then, a reminder of civilization even in the midst of the wilderness. And if you squinted, you could make out the steel towers of Goldenrod down the single, winding path.

"Route 34, children," Tony announced, a small smirk on his face in contrast to his earlier moodiness. Apparently, he hated the forest as much as I did. "Learn it, love it, be bored of it and cry for the day when you don't see flat plains. We'll be stuck on it for the next few days."

"Anything's better than that forest," Alex declared, stomping past me and taking the lead. "At least we won't get lost out here."

True enough, the route was a lot more relaxing than wandering around aimlessly in the Ilex Forest. It was also a lot less interesting, what with miles upon miles of flat road stretching out in front of us. At one point in time, Warren piqued up and wondered whether we should fight some of the wild pokemon around the area just to break the monotony, but a quick glare from Tony sent that suggestion out of the window.

"Don't forget that we have to reach the day-care center," he muttered, pointing out a small red-roofed building off in a distance. "The sooner we get this errand over and done with, the better."

"Don't you mean 'you'?" Alex asked with a smirk.

Tony merely shook his head. "No," he stated, failing to catch the sarcasm. "I mean 'us'."

Alex shrugged and decided to leave it as that. A focused Tony, I realized, was really similar to an irritated Tony- except that you could poke him and he wouldn't respond. It was a good thing, I decided.

We made it to the building by the time the sun reached its peak. Up close, you could see that it wa old. Made out of wood, there were vines crawling up the right wall, stretching up onto the chimney on the red roof. It looked homely, quaint, with a fenced yard that seemed a lot bigger than usual and a garden that looked as though it belonged in a botanical garden or a manor rather than in the middle of nowhere. However, almost immediately, we knew something wasn't quite right.

"There's no lights," Alex noted with a frown, surveying the structure as we stood at the entrance. "No pokemon or people too."

"Door says 'open'," Warren said, jerking to a small sign that hung on the wooden door. "Is it always like this?"

Tony shook his head, his eyes staring straight ahead as he calculated our options. Finally, he said, "We should go in. But keep your pokeballs at the ready at all times. It could be just a false alarm, but..."

"Better safe than sorry, yeah?" Alex grinned.

In typical Alex fashion, he was the first one in, though, heeding Tony's advice, he kept a pokeball in his right hand. "Hello?" he called, his voice echoing off the walls of the very first room we stepped into. Inside, it looked just as homely as it did on the outside, but the only source of light, a window facing the west, cast a depressing shade to the room. It was almost like walking into one of those abandoned ghost towns in those old Western movies. In fact, I thought I could see a shadow slip in and out of the door frames, but when I looked again, there was nothing there.

"This isn't right," Tony muttered when nobody responded. "The caretakers should be here. I've never heard of them leaving the place before."

"Maybe we should call the cops?" I suggested.

Surprisingly, Tony nodded. "Good idea. Lemme try the phone- ah."

"What is it?"

The older boy grimaced, holding up the phone by the counter- somehow, the wire that connected the phone to the machine had been cut. Quickly, he checked his pokegear, and with a scowl, showed us a "No Signal" screen, only to slam it back into his pocket. "Someone was adamant that nobody would realize what's going on here," he said. "If I had to guess, something around here is jamming the signal. The nearest police station is at least one day's walk away. Which means two things. One- that nobody would have been able to call for help if something happened, and two- that when that something happened, nobody was able to escape. And three, whoever did this planned everything out in advance."

"What makes you say that?" Warren asked, curious.

"For starters," Tony said, "the research lab lost contact with the day-care about two days ago. There was a general power outage in the area due to a fault at the nearby power plant, so nobody thought any wiser when that happened. Apparently, they still haven't gotten the power back up, but there should have been back-up generators working here. The fact that they aren't on means that they, too, were sabotaged, but the fact that they were able to do so- as well as cut the communications lines and prevent any manner of escape- means that the person had planned for everything beforehand, or that there may be more than one person involved."

"So what do we do?" I asked. "Should we leave? Call the cops?"

Tony shook his head. "Even if we managed to make it to the town, the cops are probably having their own troubles dealing with the blackout. Besides, I'd like to see what really happened here. I owe the caretakers of this place a thing or two, and if something happened to them-"

"But, that's not safe-"

"Maybe not," Tony agreed. "But my gut instinct is telling me that I can't just leave now. What if there are people still here? Or what about the pokemon eggs? Without constant care and attention, the babies in them will die, if they haven't already after three days. And what about the pokemon?"

"I agree with Tony," Warren said. "We're pokemon trainers, aren't we? If anything, we should help if pokemon or people are in trouble."

"You're welcome to wait outside if you want," Tony suggested, without a hint of irritation or sarcasm, noticing my fear. "But I'm going in. If anything goes wrong, get out of here as fast as you can and call for help-"

Alex snorted. "You think they'll listen to a couple 'a kids, Tony? Nobody listens to pokemon trainers. 'Sides, didn't you say the police were busy already? They aren't going to get too worried about a day-care center far out into the wilderness."

"I- I agree with Alex," I said, drawing the incredulous glances of the rest of the party. Biting my lip, I said, "Look, I don't think it's safe here, but it's probably more dangerous out _there _if there is someone trying to stop people from getting help. And, it's probably a lot safer with you guys than without. And I remember last time, when you guys left and I was alone..."

Tony gave me a wry grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Alright then. But any sign of trouble, and you're out of here, you understand? You, of all people, should know what could happen if things were to go south."

I nodded slowly. I was grateful that Tony hadn't simply commanded me out of the building, but at the same time, I kinda wished he did. Being brave wasn't my forte. Being brave in the midst of some creepy abandoned house was much worse.

"Alright." Tony folded his arms. "Then maybe you can help us out- your Girafarig is the only psychic pokemon we have right now, but it'll make things a lot easier than recklessly charging in. Use its psychic powers to scan the building top to bottom. Look out for any signs of life, any signs of anything strange. Understood?"

"I'll try." I did as he instructed- Girafarig seemed barely fazed by the order, and seemed to understand exactly what to look for. All I needed to do was to stand back and watch as it stared into empty space for a few minutes before turning its calm, brown eyes back to me.

"Gii," it neighed, trotting down a few feet down a corridor before turning back to look at us. The message was clear- it found something, and it wanted us to follow.

"You lead," Tony suggested gently. Noticing my hesitation, he smirked. "Don't worry. We'll be right behind you."

I was too scared to come up with a response. But I knew that the older boy meant every single word- and I knew that Girafarig itself would never willingly lead me into danger. And so, biting back the fear that was hammering in my heart and the doubts that were circling in my brain, I stepped into the empty corridors of the building, hoping that nothing dangerous was lurking beyond the next corner.

* * *

Next: Another opponent, another evil plan. And an unexpected savior when things take a turn for the worst.

The whole pokemon egg problem is ridiculous in the fact that absolutely nobody knows where they come from. I mean, I suppose it's expected, considering that Pokemon is for kids but seriously, guys? All the best minds in the world and all you can come up with is "Oh, uh, we have no idea how they got there durrr?"


	22. Surprise

Had an epic writer's block for this one chapter because I just... can't stand it. For some reason. Though that's probably not the only thing to blame for the late update. However, I think I have found a satisfactory conclusion to this chapter after two weeks of stressing out thanks to real life and being unable to actually focus on fanfiction. That said, I realize that this fanfic has a lot of errors right now, mostly with the consistency of the style and is probably riddled with plot holes which I can't see because I'm the author and don't really think too sensibly thanks to Plot.

... Good thing I'm not really that far in then yet, right?

Anyway, here's the long overdue chapter! And will you look at that, it hit 6,000 words. I think congratulations and a nice hot cup of tea are in order.

* * *

**Chapter 21**

**Surprise**

I didn't know what to expect when we wandered into the abandoned day-care center.

No, scratch that. I thought ghosts and ferocious pokemon were lurking around ever corner, waiting to pounce and tear me apart limb from limb, with their hideous eyes forcing my soul to stay put as their eerie howls echoed through the emptiness, with nobody to help me because everyone would be dead and gone and I'd be all _alone_ because I was stupid enough to come here, because of a stupid gut feeling that told me I should stay with the boys, that I should _go_ into the creepy abandoned house-

"Ow!"

"Gii-ra," Girafarig neighed, seemingly satisfied with a lock of my hair gripped tightly in its jaws. It looked completely nonchalant about the whole thing, like it was perfectly normal to stroll into an abandoned house and look around for people. I mean, yeah, I guess most trainers would have been jumping at the opportunity (possibly screaming 'rare pokemon' while they were at it), but I just wanted to be safe, where there weren't people running about trying to kill me. Pity that the psychic pokemon didn't think like that. I shot a glare at Girafarig, who innocently chewed on my lock of hair as if it were a clump of grass.

You ever tried tearing your hair out of your scalp before? While you were perfectly awake and sober? Well, just so you know, it hurt.

"You okay there, Dew?" Warren's voice echoed from the stairwell behind me. I flinched at the noise, slightly worried that he had been loud enough to tip off whoever was here of our presence.

"Y-yeah," I called back, as loud as I dared- which wasn't much, shooting Girafarig a glare. I wasn't even sure whether Warren heard me or not, but he didn't ask the question again. Presumably, from the muffled whispers, Tony was reprimanding him for the earlier call.

And Girafarig, still with an all-too-innocent look on its face, simply wandered down the hallway with the absolute confidence that I would follow. I briefly wondered how on earth could it be so calm all the time (just what was it's secret to be able to stare death in the face and not flinch at all?) but a quiet glare from the psychic pokemon was enough to stop my thought process and send me scrambling to catch up.

"What did you sense in here anyways?" I muttered, looping my hands into Girafarig's mane. "A wild pokemon? A trainer? The people who run this place? A ghost?"

"Gii."

"Please don't tell me that means all of the above."

Girafarig simply sighed and nudged my shoulder reassuringly. Or, I would presume it to be reassuring, but for all I knew, maybe it just wanted me to shut up. It was hard to tell when Girafarig's expression hardly changed, and when all it could say was it's name repeated over and over-

"Is someone there?" a voice croaked from out of the darkness.

Like any perfectly reasonable trainer, I kept my cool- actually, no. Who am I kidding; I freaked out.

Girafarig at least had the sense to look surprised when I suddenly let out a loud cry and threw my arms around its neck, clinging tightly to it like it was a bouy in the middle of a stormy sea. Knowing the psychic pokemon, it had probably expected this at least five minutes ago. It whickered and tried to pry me off its neck, but I was too terrified at the thought of something _coming _to take heed of my pokemon's exasperated sighs. In the end, I think it gave in and waited patiently for the boys to catch up.

I think I must have been quite a sight- a trembling little girl clinging tightly to my Girafarig's neck, teeth chattering and legs shaking and all, because when they finally arrived, Tony was speechless, Alex burst into laughter, and Warren was the only one who went up to try to pry me off my psychic pokemon- who was rolling its eyes by now. _This is my trainer,_ it seemed to say. _Why couldn't I have gotten someone with more spine?_

"Dew, you alright?" Warren asked gently, trying to remove my obstinate hands from Girafarig's neck.

"Gii, ra," Girafarig snorted, rolling its eyes in what I supposed was a rebuke at my not-letting-go of its neck.

"Aw man, Dewdrop!" Alex declared in between chuckles before wheezing and almost-toppling into a nearby wall to catch his breath, "What, did the widdle little Budew see a big scwawy ghost or something?"

"Alex," Tony began, "Now is neither the time nor place-"

"W-well, as a matter of fact, I did!"

I think at that point, the rest of the group (Girafarig included) let out a huge, communal sigh. Not that I noticed- my anger at Alex was enough to push enough of my fear away so that I could focus on that rather than, you know, being scared.

And Alex, being Alex, wasn't about to back down from a fight. Smirking, he leaned against the wall, his eyes glittering with what I presumed to be pent-up frustration of not-taunting me the day before. "You sure it wasn't those curtains over there? They're big and scary and maybe you didn't look at 'em closely enough. Or maybe you saw yourself in a mirror."

"But it was a ghost! I'm totally certain of it! I heard something- and, and Girafarig heard it too- And you know what they say about old houses like these. Perfect haunting grounds and stuff-"

"So where did the big bwad ghost go then, Dewdrop? Did it simply vanish? Or maybe you just ain't got the guts to go further in and wanna bail-"

"Y-you're just saying that because you didn't hear it!"

"There's nothing to hear! You're just a scared little girl, trying to gain attention and prove to everyone that you're a pokemon trainer, but let's face it, you're not!"

"You're one to talk! You're just a selfish bully with no sense of decency!"

Alex opened his mouth, ready to fire off another retort, only to be interrupted by a shaking voice echoing through the corridors.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

Pause.

Everyone froze. You could almost hear a pin drop, that was how silent it suddenly was. That last call was much louder than any random whisper, and it was enough to stop everyone in their tracks. We stood like a tableau, uncertain whether we should move to respond or whether we actually heard anything.

Alex was the first to speak, a hint of a stutter in his normally confident voice. "D-did you guys hear that...?"

Warren nodded slowly in reply, eyes wide, and I muttered, "I told you I _heard _something." I totally did not wind my fingers into Girafarig's mane again.

And Tony, ever-so-level-minded-Tony, simply walked past us and called back, "Who's there?"

It was safe to say none of us were expecting that for a repsonse. Instinctively, I returned to clutching tightly at Girafarig's neck, which panicked the psychic pokemon because apparently I must have blocked its air supply or something and forced Warren to pull us apart. It was Alex who took the more logical route of action while the three of us were busy trying not to fall over in a panic.

"Tony, what are you trying to pull-" he began, rushing to pull the spectacled boy back, only to be stopped when the older boy raised a hand.

That signal was all that was needed to calm the rest of us down. Well, that and the fact that Tony was confidently staring off into the distance, waiting for a response. Still, I noticed that even though he stood as calmly an relaxed as he always was, Coil's pokeball was sitting in his other hand, his thumb sitting right on top of the switch mechanism.

It was quiet for a while, the kind of quiet that made you want to go mad and return to panicking because it was too quiet and you wanted nothing more than to run away and cause some noise or something, and I wondered truly whether there was a ghost haunting the day-care center, whether or not we would actually make it out of there alive. It felt like the silence had been stretching over minutes, hours, even, although I was sure that we hadn't been standing there for much longer than a few seconds. To be honest, if it weren't for Girafarig giving me an exasperated look, I would probably have panicked faster, but as it was, I managed to rein in my fear and stand there for who knows how long until someone answered Tony's question.

"Anthony Archer, is that you?" the voice called back finally.

Tony sighed and returned Coil's pokeball to his belt, a relieved smile on his face as the tension in the room evaporated. "Yes, Grandmother," he called out. In a quieter voice, he explained, "That would be the proprietress of the day-care center." I was all too aware of the disapproving stare that was levelled in my direction, a small smirk on his lips.

"Not a ghost?" Alex smirked. "Aw, hear that, little Dewdrop? It's not a ghost, just the old lady that runs the place. Looks like your fears were way off!"

"Oh, would you just grow up, Alex?" I knew that my face had turned a beet-red, but I couldn't just admit to Alex that he was right, after all, could I? Instead of waiting for his response, I stormed off, eager to get out of this creepy old place, until Girafarig's teeth suddenly clamped themselves around my sleeve.

"Wh-what? Girafarig..."

I glanced at the psychic pokemon. Girafarig's ears were tucked back, its teeth clamped tightly on my sleeve, its brown eyes pleading. _Don't go, _they said._ Danger._ Even with my limited experience with pokemon, I knew a warning when I saw one, especially with the weird psychic voice of Girafarig suddenly echoing in my mind. It was quickly followed by a wave of thoughts, feelings, and sensations that I never knew could exist, that I couldn't even put a name for, suddenly swamping my mind even before I could protest. It was intense, to hear what Girafarig heard, see what Girafarig's minds saw. In fact, if I had to describe it, it was like my brain suddenly exploded with sights and sounds beyond the field of human senses that almost caused me to pass out from the overload of information, if not for the fact that Girafarig, seeing my knees buckle, cut off the link as quickly as possible.

Still, even so, I found myself beind held upright by Warren, his worried gaze staring at me even as Girafarig peered anxiously over his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," I said, shaking my head and flashing Girafarig a weak, reassuring smile. "Girafarig was just telling me what it felt- sensed- thought? It's voice was a bit too loud, but I got the message loud and clear." The psychic pokemon snorted and looked down bashfully at the floor- an apology, I suppose.

"Is something wrong?" Tony asked.

I nodded. Girafarig had managed to tell me what was wrong, at least, before my head almost-exploded. "A trainer- no, a pokemon?" I glanced over at Girafarig for confirmation. Trying to sort out thoughts forced into my mind by a being that didn't quite think like a human was tough, to say the least, and I sighed in relief when Girafarig nodded. "A trained pokemon, I think. Something's in the room with the old lady- wait, is the old lady even alive or did we hear a recording or something-?" Another nod. "It... feels pretty strong, according to Girafarig, and I don't think it's a friendly pokemon. We don't know what kind of pokemon it is, though."

"Grandmother," Tony called out again into the empty corridor, "What's going on?"

There was a moment of silence, and a weak voice replied, "We're being held prisoner. There's a pokemon here, and my husband is gravely injured. It won't attack us if we don't move, but at the same time-" The voice paused, hanging for a while, as if unable to put to words whatever thoughts the speaker had. "Anthony, please, I know this is dangerous for me to ask this of you, but we need your help."

Tony nodded, his face suddenly serious once again. "Alright then," he said to us in a soft, determined voice, letting Coil out of it's ball. "Let's go."

* * *

We didn't hear anything else from the grandmother after that. The same eerie silence had settled back down onto the day-care center, and I wondered whether the pokemon that Girafarig had sensed had hurt them or something. Still, the lack of sound, of a fight or an argument or an attack or anything pointed to the fact that nothing drastic had happened yet, and that the pokemon that was in the room (which Girafarig had more or less confirmed) was waiting for us. It had to be, we were making a pretty loud din out there.

"It's that door," I pointed towards the last door at the end of the corridor, marked in my mind's eye by Girafarig's senses. Girafarig neighed a warning, stomping its foot on the floorboards as it did so. I licked my lips and glanced at Tony, who had taken the lead. "I hope you know what you're doing."

Tony smirked in reply, waving Coil forward. The Magnemite floated over to the edge of the door, waiting for the older boy's signal. "You might want to stand back," Tony said softly, glancing at us. Then, without waiting for any reply of any sort, he and Coil exchanged a quick nod, and suddenly the world exploded in a burst of electricity. Inwardly, I found myself thinking- _Thunder Wave-_ but outwardly, my body could only react by dropping down on my knees as my fear caught up to me again. I heard the sound of a door being torn off its hinges, a startled cry and a furious roar.

Things moved quickly after that. The pokemon that was waiting beyond the door must have launched an attack, because suddenly Girafarig yanked me back, just in the nick of time to avoid being crushed by a giant, yellow fist that had suddenly slammed into the floorboards where we were standing just a moment before. Even before the dust had cleared, Tony and Coil were already in the thick of the action.

"Flash Cannon, Coil!" he yelled, pointing at a target. It was hard to make out what was actually going on- there was smoke and dust and the air was thick with the crackling charge of electricity, but Tony and Coil never lost sight of what was going on at any single moment.

The Magnemite twirled its magnet-arms, a silvery glow gathering in between the prongs, before firing a silver blast in the general direction that Tony had indicated. There was a roar of fury that shook the very foundations of the building, but as the smoke cleared, I managed to make out their foe- a bipedal, yellow-and-black-striped pokemon. The attack had left it roaring in fury, not pain. And there was a look in its eyes that reminded me of Bugsy's Scyther- a murderous rage that would tear anything that stood in its path away.

Girafarig yanked me even further back, deciding that I would be utterly useless in this fight (not that it was mistaken in any way, shape or form). It dragged me alongside Alex, who, despite his earlier bravado, stood around with his mouth agape, frozen by a mixture of fear and awe. Warren was by his side in a crouch, having dragged the other boy away from the exploding door. Unlike the other boy, however, his eyes were alert and a pokeball sat ready in his hand.

"Tony-" I began, coughing up the dust I had accidentally inhaled. "We need to help-"

He gave me a quick nod and jumped into the fray, hurling the pokeball as he did so. I saw it fly through the air in slow motion, landing at the base of the yellow pokemon's feet. There was a moment of startled surprise as the ball opened, revealing a really dopey-looking Jaws, but the yellow pokemon barely had enough time to register the fact when another beam of light slammed into it, shoving it back a few paces.

"Doesn't that thing know anything other than Steel or Electric attacks?" Warren asked as he caught up to Tony, Jaws toddling on its four feet as it turned to face the yellow pokemon.

Tony glanced at Warren's direction and snapped back, "Well, it wasn't exactly high on my to-do list to fight an electric pokemon, much less an Electabuzz like this one. It's too strong for Coil to get in close without getting knocked out in a single hit. Besides, didn't I hire you to be my bodyguard?"

"You took lead," Warren retorted with a grin. "Anyway, you say Coil can actually hurt it with physical attacks?"

"Well, it would be an improvement from just annoying it."

Warren's grin grew even larger. "Alright, I got this covered. Jaws, bite it!"

The little Trapinch lunged at the Electabuzz, who gave it an incredulous look before swatting it away with its hand, like a man would swat an annoying fly. Or rather, it tried to. What resulted was an Electabuzz with a Trapinch attached to its hand, jaws clamped tightly around its fist. It tried to shake the little orange pokemon off, even going so far as to let loose a bolt of electricity on it, but no matter what it did, Jaws held on tightly.

That was all the opening Coil needed. The Magnemite, sensing its chance, zoomed in, using the force of its charge to tackle the Electabuzz into the wall, pinning its free arm against the wall. There was a quick zap of electricity- Thunder Wave- and then it backed off, watching as the Electabuzz staggered, its limbs unable to move. Likewise, Jaws let go and toddered away, sensing that things were going to get real bad if it stayed on the Electabuzz any longer. As for the Electabuzz, all it managed was to raise its head slightly, an eye on its opponent, before Tony yelled out his next command.

"Gyro Ball!"

The Magnemite started glowing, spinning in place until it was a rushing silver whirlwind. And then in a burst of speed, it tackled the stunned Electabuzz, the force of the blow knocking both pokemon through the wall.

Tony wasted no time waiting for the Magnemite to reappear. He rushed in almost immediately, pausing only to throw all of us a glare. "Hurry up!" he snapped, before disappearing into the smoke cloud.

Alex obeyed instantaneously. But Warren, who just a second ago had been perky and alert, now stared at the hole Tony and Coil disappeared through with a stunned expression on his face. Jaws stared up at its trainer in confusion, rubbing its head against his ankles every now and then, but that didn't even seem to trigger any response from the bug trainer.

"Warren?" I tentatively poked him on the shoulder.

"Gyro Ball," he muttered. "That Magnemite had _Gyro Ball._"

"Hey, Warren, we're kinda in the middle of something dangerous right now and Tony and Alex just went through the hole in the wall-"

"Do you even know how powerful that Magnemite has to be to know _Gyro Ball_? It should have _evolved _by now! It explains why Tony was fighting an electric type with it despite the type disadvantage! But Tony shouldn't be able to control it if he doesn't even have any badges, so how-"

"Warren?" I asked, waving my hand in front of his face. To no response. I sighed. "You know what, forget it. Girafarig, bite him."

Girafarig glanced at me and arched its eyebrow. And then it chomped down hard on Warren's hair.

* * *

After finally reassuring Warren that no, his hair did not fall off, and yes, it was absolutely neccessary for me to have Girafarig bite his hair, we finally crawled (walked, rather) through the hole and into the room that the Electabuzz had been guarding. I saw the yellow pokemon propped up, dazed, on a nearby wall. The expression on its face made me want to take out a marker and draw silly faces while it was out, but the seriousness of the situation pushed that temptation aside.

The room that we had so unceremoniously burst into was small, and rather homely looking for a cell. There was plenty of light streaming through the single window, and pink curtains and paintings of meadows and faraway mountains hung on the wall. Two small beds were propped up against a wall, and I guessed that it must have been a guest room of sorts- quaint, but lacking personality. Although I probably wasn't the best person to ask for an opinion in home design.

Instead, I turned my attention to a couple of old folks thanking Tony profusely while Alex watched awkwardly, leaning against a nearby bedpost. Coil merely hovered, as emotionless as always, above Tony's shoulder. It barely spared us a glance as we entered, but that was enough for Tony to notice our presence.

"Glad to see you finally decided to join us," Alex snickered. Warren merely ignored him, walking towards the group without even sparing the other boy a glance. I tried to follow suit.

"So, what happened here?" he asked, gesturing around the room. "Well, apart from the Electabuzz and the big hole in the wall and the broken door."

Tony arched an eyebrow and was about to respond, but the old lady cut in before he could even form a word. "Thank heavens you kids are here! It was horrible- _horrible, _I tell you! Some whipper snapper came and took over the daycare center during the blackout and locked us up in this room and tortured us! Just look at what they did to my husband!"

She gestured at the old man; presumably, the husband who had been gravely injured and tortured. However, the most grievious injury that I could see was simply a big bruise on his arm where someone had grabbed him. He sighed wearily, and ran a hand through his almost non-existent hair. I glanced questioningly at Tony.

"She has a..._ habit _of using hyperbole," he explained as best as he could.

"Hyperbole?" the old lady shrieked. Somehow, she had pulled out a fan from the depths of her kimono and began hitting the boy on the arm. "Anthony Archer, I have been babysitting you ever since you were five years old, so don't you badmouth me in front of these nice people!" I was pretty sure that Coil was looking on with something akin to amusement, though it was hard to tell when its only facial feature was a single eyeball.

"Now, now, Granny," the old man said calmly, resting a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Let's not hurt Tony too badly. He's just trying to help, and besides, we have bigger problems to worry about right now."

"I assume you mean the Electabuzz's trainer?" Tony asked, adjusting his glasses, knocked askew by the old lady's whacking. "Where is he anyways? And why would anyone take over a daycare center? Or rather, _how_?" He smirked lightly. "I recall that you weren't too bad at handling pokemon yourself, Gramps. I doubt any run-of-the-mill trainer could have taken you and Granny out just like that."

"Good questions," Gramps said, pushing his glasses back onto his long nose (I was starting to see where Tony got that tic from). "As for how we were subdued, quite frankly, we had no idea we were under attack. There was a blackout and when the emergency supply didn't start up, I went out to go check what was wrong with it. One minute, Rose and I were on our way down the stairs, the next minute, I'm tied up in this room with Granny, with all my pokeballs gone and that Electabuzz staring at us. We searched the whole room but couldn't find any means of escape- at least, not without going through the Electabuzz over there." He paused. "Nice work, by the way. You really did turn out to be quite an astounding trainer, didn't you, Tony?"

"I'm not a trainer," Tony shrugged. "But back to the topic. Who did this? Did he talk to you?"

"It was some kid!" the old lady yelled, her cheeks puffed up. If I had to guess, she was rather angry at the fact that she got beaten up by a child a fraction of her age. "Came in here, acting like he owned the place and asked us for the passcode to the incubator! Of course, we didn't give it to him, and then he had his Electabuzz rough Grandpa up for a while until it was clear that we wouldn't tell him what he wanted. Far as I know, he's probably down there still, trying to crack the code."

"He isn't quite as bad as Granny describes," the old man said with a small smile. "Misguided, a bit. At least he left us food and water during the days he's been here. Although, I'm not sure whether he's aware of the danger to the eggs after they've been left untended for so long."

Tony and Warren exchanged a glance. Some sort of understanding seemed to pass between the two before Tony turned back to the old folks.

"How many pokemon does he have?" Tony asked.

"There were three pokeballs on his belt," Gramps replied.

"Safe to say that the Electabuzz is probably the saboteur of the back-up generators," Warren noted. "Dew said that it's one of the trainer's pokemon, right?"

"That still leaves us with two." Tony frowned. "Judging from the strength of the Electabuzz, it's also safe to say that he's no amateur. And travelling into enemy territory with only three pokemon... he'll probably keep the other two with him."

"So what do you want us to do?" Alex asked, speaking up for the first time. "Between the four of us, we could probably take 'im on."

Warren nodded, and even I could see the logic in that. However, Tony shook his head. "It's hard enough battling with two trainers, let alone four. No, Alex, you and Budew get Granny and Gramps out of here. Warren and I will find the person behind this and put a stop to his actions before any lasting harm comes to the eggs. Alex, try to restore a phone connection and establish contact with the nearest police station."

"What?" Alex exclaimed. "Why am I grouped up with _her_?" He jabbed a finger all too accusingly at my direction, though the surprise and panic on his face was nearly laughable enough for me to forgive him. Nearly.

"She's not as good as any of us when it comes to battle," Tony stated calmly. "I'd rather have at least one person who's capable of handling themselves if something goes amiss. Not that I'd think it would."

The way he said it, it was almost as if victory had already been assured. Still, it was that self-same confidence that made it easier for us to concede to his plan, though I could see the resentment seething off Alex's shoulders. Not that I felt any better after Tony had unceremoniously dismissed whatever pokemon battling skills I had (though, shouldn't I actually be happy about that?). The unanimous decision was reached when nobody objected, and Tony smiled wanly.

"Alright. Let's go, Warren. The incubator room is downstairs."

"R-right." Warren looked a bit mortified that he was being called up to fight alongside Tony, and I saw curiousity in his eyes as he watched the other trainer leave, before running up to catch up with him.

We watched them leave through the giant holes in the wall, a bit stunned as to what just happened. It was Girafarig who snapped us out of it, cantering over to to the still-dazed Electabuzz and letting out a little whinny. I didn't need to be psychic to understand what it said.

"What do we do with the Electabuzz?" I asked. "Should we take it with us?"

Alex looked as though he was about to dismiss my worries with a well-placed insult, but a quick glance at the two old folks watching us was enough to stop whatever tactless remark he was about to make. Instead, he sighed and walked up to it, leaning in close to study the fainted Electric pokemon. "Doesn't seem too badly hurt. No lasting injuries as far as I can see. We could probably just tie it up and leave it here, have the authorities pick it up later. After all, it's not like we have it's pokeball with us, and dragging around a pokemon this big is only gonna slow us down in the long run. Not to mention that, if it wakes up, it'll probably turn violent." He met my questioning gaze with a disdainful sniff. "Look, the kid in charge of this whole shebang told it to guard the old fogies in this room, yeah? What do you think it's response will be when it finds out that it's seperated from its trainer, essentially kidnapped by the people who took it down? Between the two of us, you aren't capable of handling an Electabuzz, let alone a really pissed off one, and I doubt I could take it down without it hurting anyone else."

I was impressed. I didn't think Alex had any sort of analytical skill, but he had just proven me wrong. A small part of me realized that maybe he actually knew what he was talking about when it came to pokemon and pokemon training. Not that I was about to tell him that, of course.

He pulled out some rope (Escape Rope! No ten year old kid was allowed to go out on a pokemon journey without one!) out of his pack and quickly tied the Electabuzz's limbs while we watched in appreciative (if somewhat stunned) silence. After a while, he looked up and gave me an annoyed glare. "So can we go now, please?"

* * *

You would think that getting out of the day care center would easily be the least dangerous thing we could possibly do at this point. However, we had barely stepped out of the room when suddenly, we found ourselves under attack.

I wasn't quite sure what happened- there was the sound of some sort of explosion, the whirl of the air as power sliced through it- and then Girafarig pushed itself to the front, blue barriers glittering in front of it, bearing the brunt of the attack. But we scarcely had time to respond when a _whoosh _sound echoed in my ears and I felt claws grap onto my shoulder, pressing me against an unfamiliar body as a spoon dangled threateningly under my neck.

At first, I was a bit surprised by the odd weapon choice, but as the puzzle pieces clicked in my head, all I could think was: _Oh no. Not you, please not you not you not you-_

_"Hello, human child," _the Alakazam said disdainfully. _"How nice to see you again."_

"Hang on, Budew!" I think I would have been touched that Alex cared for my safety if it weren't for the fact that I was now being held hostage by an angry, homicidal psychic pokemon whose trainer was out to get me.

Even so, he never got the chance to release his pokemon when the Alakazam brought the spoon closer to my throat. _"Not a move, boy. Or you two, either." _The threat was too apparent, and Alex skid to a stop, his fists clenched, even as Granny and Gramps backed away.

Not that the Alakazam minded. Its calm eyes slid over the scene- Alex and the two old folks were watching it warily, unsure of what it wanted. Girafarig was watching it with unbridled anger, and I knew the only reason why it wasn't charging at the Alakazam right then and there was because I was in danger of getting my throat sliced by a spoon. Which normally wouldn't have been much of a threat, but the fact that this was Alakazam pretty much changed any normal situation.

And then it spoke again.

_"I have no use for any of you to be alive," _it said, calm and completely in control of the situation. _"In fact, I believe I'm angry enough to tear all of your pitiful bodies to pieces. But before I kill you all, tell me this and perhaps I shall show mercy to you- where is my trainer?"_

"Why on earth would we know where your trainer is?" Alex barked angrily. "Isn't he the one in charge of taking over the day-care center?"

_Oh right, Alex doesn't know,_ I thought. Bad move on my part. Suddenly, the spoon was pressed onto the skin of my throat, and despite it being a _spoon_, I could feel a trickle of warm blood slide down my skin.

_"You're the one who saw my trainer last, are you not?" _the Alakazam asked. Then it snorted. I suppose it was stupid of me to think that it would actually ask the question- considering that it was a psychic pokemon, after all- because suddenly my mind felt as though a thousand needles had been stabbed into my brain or that a million little fireworks were set off in unison, burning behind my eyes. I think I must have screamed.

What happened next was a bit of a blur. I heard Girafarig screech in panic, and then suddenly there was a blurred shadow and the bludgeoning presence in my mind was gone- and so was the spoon. I coughed, gasping for air, one hand pressed against the small cut that the Alakazam had given me, not quite sure what was going on. And then I looked up and saw myself staring into dark irises and a toothy grin.

"Salutations, little one," the ghost- which some part of me remembered to identify as being a Haunter- said amicably, stretching out a disembodied purple hand in my direction. "My name is Faust. I believe we've met in Ilex?"

* * *

Next: Faust drives the Alakazam off while Warren and Tony have their own troubles to deal with. A mysterious egg is the source of all the trouble.

Sooooo, I originally didn't want to bring Alakazam back for this chapter, but after the whole thing felt so... wrong... I threw him in and now I feel almost happy. I mean, yes, I was going to re-introduce him in a chapter some time or other but I kept pushing it back and back. It's a relief to finally be able to bring the big guy back. Now to go and set up the rest of the foreshadowing for the next few chapters...


	23. More than Meets the Eye

So, I didn't want to post this up so late, but there was a whole lot of things going on, mainly consisting of me writing myself into a corner, a diploma show, and Pokemon Black being awesome. In the end, I more or less figured everything out, but for some reason, this chapter turned out very Warren-centric. I mean, it's alright, I guess, but I just couldn't find a way to fit more Dew in there (I think it may be linked to my preference to writing third-person narrative, but eh). This is the last time I try splitting the group up. Ever. Unless the plot demands it.

* * *

**Chapter 22**

More than Meets the Eye

Warren followed Tony's lead down the staircase into the basement. The musty air brushed against his cheeks, causing him to pause in mid-step.

"Worried?"

He glanced at the older boy. As usual, Tony's face seemed arrogant (and after watching him battle that Electabuzz, Warren knew that his arrogance wasn't just for show) and he was watching Warren carefully, even as he casually descended down the steps. Coil floated on ahead, its magnet arms spinning ever so often. It was searching for something, though Warren had no idea how useful a Magnemite would be in locating a trainer.

"A little, yeah," Warren tried to reply without any interference from his nerves. "Dew and Alex aren't that strong, after all. What if they run into trouble?"

"They won't," Tony answered. "Coil didn't notice the trainer up above, remember? And Gramps and Granny pretty much agreed that there's only one guy causing all this trouble. They'll be fine."

Curiously, Warren asked, pointing at Coil, "What's it doing?"

"It senses a magnetic pulse that way," Tony explained. "All living things have an electromagnetic signal- that's how we're tracking down our mystery trainer. I don't think he's too far off now. We should be able to finish this up nice and easy."

Still, Warren couldn't quite shake that sense of forboding that pervaded his thoughts. Something felt wrong- a mistake, somewhere- and he wanted to rush back and check on how the other two were doing. Yet, at the same time, he couldn't just turn around and leave when Tony was the one who most likely needed his help.

As if sensing his hesitation, Coil interrupted his thoughts with a deadpan call. Immediately, he glanced up- only to see the Magnemite staring off in in one direction, its magnets still. In front of them was an old iron door, out of place in the rest of the wooden house.

"This is it," Tony muttered. "Just as I suspected. He's at the incubator."

Warren swallowed, resting one hand on Gnat's pokeball. Tony gave him what he probably meant as a reassuring smile, but somehow, in his mind, it seemed like the familiar, taunting smile of his brothers.

"Can you keep up?"

Warren smiled grimly. "Of course I can."

Tony gave him a moment to calm his thoughts, then with reckless abandon, the older boy kicked the door in and dashed in. Warren would never have thought that the older, calmer boy could be so reckless- or maybe he was just plain old ruthless.

"Thunder Wave!" Tony cried, and suddenly the pitch black darkness of the basement was illuminated by bright sparks of electricity.

_Ruthless, _Warren thought fleetingly as he followed him. _Definitely ruthless._

* * *

The Alakazam didn't take to Faust's interruption kindly, to put things mildly. Even as Alex ushered the old folks away (who weren't quite unwilling to leave), we could feel the waves of power rolling off from its body.

_"Fool!" _it declared, roaring in rage as the planks under its feet started to struggle against the nails that bound them down. _"I'll have you pay for your stupidity!"_

"Showing off, are you?" the Haunter drawled nonchalantly as it floated beside me, utterly unfazed by the show of power. "Never liked you psychic-types. Too much power and not enough modesty."

Girafarig made a face.

"What?" Faust responded, slightly hurt. "It's true."

_"Mere Haunters dare to challenge me? I'll tear your existence out of reality!" _

"See what I mean?" The Haunter sighed, and then in a flash of purple, it appeared beside the Alakazam, socking it in the jaw. The moment of surprise was all that was needed for Alex to kick into action.

"Vine, Vine Whip!" Somehow, he had released his little Bellsprout, and in a moment of sheer recklessness, threw it at the Alakazam. I wasn't quite sure what I was seeing as a yellow bulb suddenly flew past my head, its legs whirring in mid flight before landing a few hits on the Alakazam's torso. There was scarcely a moment for the image to settle in when I felt a tugging at my sleeve- it was Girafarig, and all too soon, I realized that I was standing in the middle of a battlefield.

Not soon enough. There was the sound of planks cracking and of something hitting the wall- when I turned to look, Vine lay slumped against the wall, while Faust was nowhere in sight. And the Alakazam was there, hands outstretched towards me, eyes glowing blue. It wasn't going to give up just yet, I realized, not until it found out where Esper was.

It roared in fury, waves of blue light arcing towards us- and Girafarig reacted. Interposing itself between us and the rampaging psychic pokemon, it whinned, its horns glowing blue as a shield sprung up in mid-air, intercepting the attack.

"What are you doing Dew?" Alex's yell cut through the cloud of my thoughts like a Scyther slicing through wheat. "Quit staring and fight!"

I blinked. Alex was right- Girafarig was scarcely holding off the Alakazam, and he himself had to deal with the fact that his Bellsprout was about five feet away and knocked out. This was neither the time nor place for me to space out, not when my pokemon was standing there, fighting to protect me.

Don't get me wrong, I was scared silly. This Alakazam wanted me dead, and all I had to protect me was my Girafarig. My Girafarig, which was now using every inch of its concentration to stop the Alakazam from breaking through its hastily errected barrier. I knew that it wouldn't last for long, and I knew that Girafarig was just buying time so that I could run away, just like Granny and Gramps had so conveniently done when the battle broke out. I was scared- but I was angry, angry at myself for even considering running away and abandoning Alex and Girafarig to the Alakazam that had originally came after _me._

After all, what kind of trainer would I be if I just let myself get saved all the time?

"Girafarig, get back!" I yelled.

The psychic pokemon glanced at me in askance, but with a quick nod, let down its barrier and stepped aside, letting the wave of blue energy crash into the empty floorboards behind it. But there was no time- the Alakazam's eyes were glowing bright blue, so blue that it was like staring into a supernova- and I knew whatever command I wanted to give, I had to give it now.

We exchanged a glance- and in that one glance, I felt as though we were actually fighting together for once, like trainer and pokemon. A pulse of energy echoed in the air, almost like a silent ripple; an acknowledgement of its understanding.

And then I pointed at the Alakazam and yelled, "Charge it! Stomp!"

"Giii ra!" Girafarig neighed, ducking its head before it rushed at the Alakazam in a burst of speed.

* * *

There was someone in the basement, though that didn't really surprise either Tony or Warren. But there was a startled yelp and just from the sound alone, Warren knew that whoever was with them was young, probably a boy near his age.

If Tony noticed, however, he wasn't letting up. "Now! Thundershock!" Coil hovered in midair, its single eyeball glazed over as electricity danced all around it in a mad tango of destruction.

"Ow! Hey-" There was the sound of something- or someone shuffling in the darkness (the quick flickers of lightning weren't exactly the best light to see by) and the stench of burnt clothes and hair- and suddenly there was the sound of a pokeball being thrown. "Magmortar! Flamethrower on the Magnemite!"

A burst of blinding, roaring flames suddenly lit the then dark room with a dull orange; long shadows cast upon the bare stone walls. It was only then that Warren realized that they were in a cellar, and in front of them, beyond the wall of fire, was a metal door. And in front of the metal door was a young, green-haired boy in t-shirt and jeans and a Magmortar, the perpatrators of the whole fiasco. He was short, no taller than Warren himself. And his eyes were full with the fearful realization that they had been discovered.

"Coil!"

Warren looked up at Tony's cry. The Magnemite had been caught in the dead center of the Flamethrower attack, and it had barely managed to muster enough strength to float away from the deadly flames before crashing onto the earthen floor a few feet away, where Tony quickly scooped it up in his arms. Warren could see nothing serious that a simple potion couldn't fix, but whatever it was, Coil would be out of the battle for a while.

_Of course, _Warren thought. _Steel is weak to fire. Bug is weak to fire. But fire is weak to-_

"Jaws, let's go!" The little ground pokemon glanced at Warren upon it's release, and he could see the fear in its eyes as it studied the wall of flames that stood in between itself and its target. Warren knew he couldn't just ask Jaws to charge through the flames- the little ground pokemon wasn't exactly fast enough to avoid getting hurt if it tried to do so, even if it did hold some manner of resistance to the searing heat.

His thoughts were interrupted when the boy- the opponent- began to speak.

"Who are you guys? What are you doing here!"

Warren exchanged a glance with Tony. The older boy was cradling his wounded Magnemite in his arms protectively, but he was still the leader.

"My name is Tony Archer," the older boy said quietly as he got to his feet, returning Coil to its pokeball. "I am a close friend of the people who run this place. If anything, I should be the one asking the questions! How dare you attack a defenceless day care center like this!"

The green-haired boy flinched. "I-it's not like I hurt anybody!" he returned. "I'm just following my orders- so don't get in my way! Magmortar, Flamethrower again!"

"Jaws!" Warren knew that the little pokemon wouldn't be able to outrun the searing flames, even as the soared through the air towards it. But his little pokemon wasn't particularly strong- it didn't really have any counters to a direct fire attack.

And then the Trapinch let out a strangled cry, and in front of Warren's amazed eyes, the very earth itself suddenly rose up, a pillar of mud that blocked the fire attack. He wasn't quite sure what happened, and judging from the cowering little orange bulb at the base of the mud pile, neither did it.

"Earth Power," Tony muttered, staring at Jaws in realization. "That Trapinch- it was bred too, wasn't it?"

Warren's mind quickly worked out what Tony was saying, and despite their lucky break, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment and resentment. Of course his father wouldn't simply let him walk away without taking one of the treasured dragon pokemon that all of Blackthorn so coveted. And of course it would be powerful- that was the way of the Brightly clan, after all.

But now was neither the time nor place to dwell on that. Warren saw the momentary uncertainty in the green-haired boy's eyes and he knew that it was now or never.

"Jaws!" he yelled, his voice shaking the Trapinch out of its fearful stupor as it turned its head to look at its trainer. "Shake a leg! Use Earth Power!"

"Oh no, you don't!" the green haired boy yelled. "Magmortar, get it! Low Kick!"

That was his mistake. The wall of fire had prevented Warren from attacking fully, but now that the Magmortar was charging out at them, it was a sitting duck. Jaws had fought under Warren long enough to understand the basic strategies its trainer enjoyed to use- luring the opponent towards them by exposing a weakness, and then attacking viciously before they could even do so.

The Trapinch tilted its head back and roared. And the earth below them shuddered.

* * *

Girafarig thundered towards the Alakazam in a furious rage. Screeching the only way my incensed guardian was capable of, it slammed its hooves down onto the Alakazam's shoulders. I saw the fox-like psychic pokemon's legs buckle under the full weight of the Stomp attack, but it was still standing.

_"Y-you... fool..." _It hissed, using one of the spoons to slash at Girafarig before my pokemon managed to get away.

Girafarig let out a shrieking cry as the attack drew blood, cantering away from the Alakazam. But it didn't get far before the Alakazam gathered up its psychic energy and literally _flew _at it, slashing with its spoons as it went. Blue light slammed into the wounded Girafarig, sending it tottering a few feet away, still on its feet, but barely.

Just as we planned.

A white glow soon washed over Girafarig, and when the light cleared, it was back to full health, ready to fight.

The Alakazam let out a low growl of warning. Girafarig didn't take heed, cantering back in front of it and snorting in derision. There was some sort of unheard exchange between the two, judging from the way Girafarig stiffened up slightly and slid into a battle crouch, and the way Alakazam was twirling its spoons in between its fingers.

Girafarig neighed, and the Alakazam came charging again.

"Reflect! Wish!" Defensive blue barriers sprung up around us even as that pulse of energy flitted past my senses, but the Alakazam didn't seem to care, slamming its full body weight behind a slash against one of the blue walls. I saw Girafarig stagger under the force of the blow, but the boost of energy from the Wish was just enough to withstand the attack. I was about to issue a command for a counterattack when Alex cut into the fray.

"Faust, Shadow Punch!"

I briefly wondered about why he was giving commands to the Haunter from earlier, until I saw that same Haunter emerge from beneath the floorboards and socking the Alakazam in its torso while it was caught off-guard.

There was a moment in which the puzzles clicked into place, but before I could ponder the full ramifications of what I had realized, Girafarig's cry returned my attention to the battle.

The Alakazam had landed a few feet away, its face twisted into snarling rage, its spoons glowing with an eerie blue light.

"You realize you've only just angered it further, right?" Faust drawled, seemingly unconcerned by the very angry psychic pokemon.

Alex shot the Haunter a glare. "You're the one who attacked it," he retorted.

"Ah, well, it is as my master commands." The Haunter smirked, glancing over to me. "That was a sub-par attack, by the way, dear girl. No psychic pokemon would be laid low with just a Stomp from a Girafarig. Not much room for imagination in that brain of yours, is there?"

I could only gape helplessly at the Haunter. Then suddenly, Girafarig stepped forward, blue walls springing up between us as a sudden, rushing wind washed over us. I managed to get a glimpse of the Alakazam as it unleashed its attack before I was forced to look away. Even with the barriers, I found myself crouched against the floorboards, overwhelmed by the sheer might of the attack that was barely held at bay by Girafarig's Reflect. I glanced up briefly, and I could see Girafarig's legs trembling just to maintain a barrier of that size.

I knew it wouldn't last for long. But before I could do a thing, the Haunter swooped through the barrier and socked the Alakazam in the face, bursting through the fox-like psychic pokemon's attack like it was nothing. There was a moment when it floated in the air, apparently stunned, before it recovered and caught itself in mid-air. Even so, I noticed that there was a horrible bruise on the right side of its face- whateve the Haunter did, it did it well.

"You know you can't keep on fighting like this," the Haunter drawled. "Why don't you simply leave?"

_"These children are under your protection?" _the Alakazam snarled, rubbing its face. _"That strength- you're not as weak as the rest of your kin, that's for certain. What's a Haunter of your caliber doing with these amateurs?"_

"Eh, they amuse me." Faust shrugged, taking the time to examine its claws. "Believe me, if it were up to my discretion, you'd be crushed entirely before you can even blink, had you laid a single blow upon them."

The Alakazam's whiskers twitched, and while it made no moves, there was no mistaking the anger in its eyes. _"Then this confrontation is pointless. They do not have the information I seek, anyway." _The Alakazam glared at me, and I knew that if it weren't for Faust, it would have no qualms about killing us right then and there.

I gulped, keeping my grip firm on Girafarig's neck.

"Gii-ra," Girafarig taunted, stepping protectively in front of me.

The Alakazam snorted in response, and then it turned- and simply blinked out of existence.

We held still for a few minutes, half afraid that the Alakazam would suddenly re-appear and continue its assault, but once it was apparent that the coast was clear, we breathed a collective sigh of relief. I took the oppurtunity to look-over Girafarig's wounds- Wish couldn't fully heal all of the damage sustained during the battle, after all- but luckily there was nothing too serious that a few bandages couldn't solve. For its part, the psychic pokemon didn't object to my ministrations, but stubbornly refused to get back into its pokeball.

I let it be. After all, the last thing I needed was for Girafarig to mentally force me to not return it to its pokeball- my brain couldn't handle being fried twice in one day.

Alex, however, looked completely pissed off for some reason, and as soon as the Haunter turned back to us, he marched up to it and shoved a finger right into its face.

"Faust," Alex began, "You shouldn't have done that, you-"

"Should wait for my master to give orders before launching an attack?" The Haunter snorted. "Again with this conversation? And after I just saved your life? What do you imagine this is, Alex, a video game? In case your eyes have decieved you, our foe wasn't about to let us wander off had we failed to defeat it. And my power is more than you can possibly imagine, so I doubt that any commands you could possibly give would be efficient in our situation."

"You!" Alex's cheeks were puffed up now, and there was a flash of anger in his dark eyes. "I'm your trainer! I'm supposed to-"

The Haunter smirked, and in front of our eyes, simply vanished into thin air. "Don't fool yourself, Alex," its disembodied voice echoed around the corridor. "You may have captured me, but you're not my master."

"Faust, Arceus damn it, get back here!" Alex yelled into the empty air. "Don't you dare run away!"

His only response was silence. I didn't know how to break the tension in the air, so I just stood there, watching as the dark-haired trainer continued glaring at the unmoving air. All of a sudden, I realized that what I had witnessed was something deeply personal- something that made Alex more than just a guy that I could hate. He was trying his best to be a trainer, I knew. And he was doing so that his pokemon could listen to him, trust him. I couldn't bring myself to glance at Girafarig- after all, didn't it feel the same way about me?

I wanted to say something; anything, but before I could, the sound of a creaking door disrupted my attention. I tensed, ready to instruct Girafarig to attack, but paused when I saw who it was that had found us. Standing nearby, a fierce looking Houndoom at his feet, the old caretaker of the day-care center lifted a hand in apology. "I assume we've missed the battle?"

I sighed, all too aware of the fact that Alex was trying his best not to look at us. "You have no idea."

* * *

Warren was amazed at how easy the battle seemed to be. Once the Magmortar came within range, Jaws' Earth Power was more than enough to overwhelm its firey opponent, striking it hard and fast. It seemed that the little Trapinch, used to having to wait for its prey to come to it, was astounded by this new ability to attack as it pleased, and was wasting no time to push it to its limits.

Within seconds, a dazed Magmortar lay slumped on the floor, its form illuminated by the dying wisps of flame that clung stubbornly to the ground. Even by the dim light, though, Warren could make out the figure of his opponent standing a fair distance away, unmoving in shock. He supposed he would have been too, had he watched his powerful pokemon taken down by something a fraction of its size.

There were two things that Warren realized from his battle with this young boy. One- he was no stranger to battle, but was the type that depended on overwhelming force to defeat his opponents. Two- whoever he was, he had learned of battling not through school, where children were usually taught the type-compatibility charts by age 8 (Budew was the exception rather than the rule) and had obviously survived long enough to attain the strength of a pokemon as powerful as a Magmortar. And a third- no matter how powerful he was, he was just still a kid, and was probably terrified at being caught doing something bad (and most likely illegal).

"What's your name?" Warren asked conversationally, trying to get the boy's attention.

"H-huh?" The green-haired boy glanced up uncertainly. Then, in a timid voice, he replied, "Locke."

"Locke." Tony came up to Warren's side, his face stern. "You're well aware that you're doing something illegal, right? Breaking and entering, holding people captive-"

"L-look, it's complicated, alright?" Locke bit his lip. "But I have to do this. I have to-" He paused, realizing he almost let something slip, and clammed his mouth shut tightly.

Warren sighed, seeing the expression on Tony's face. The older boy probably never talked to younger kids before, he figured, and whatever he was going to say would only make the matter worse. He crouched down near the Magmortar, examining its wounds- nothing serious; Jaws simply didn't pack that much power to seriously injure anything- and said, "You know, you should probably return your pokemon and get it to a center as soon as possible."

"Warren!" Tony hissed in his ear, voice laced with horror. "What do you think you're doing?"

Warren sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, Tony, he's just a kid. You can't expect-"

"He broke the law, Warren. He endangered the pokemon eggs. I can't just let him waltz out of here like that!"

"Y-you're going to turn me over to the police?" Locke's eyes were as wide as saucers. "B-but I didn't hurt anyone!"

Tony hesitated. Warren smiled inwardly to himself- no matter how ruthless he was, at least Tony was human enough to be capable of pity towards a terrified child. Standing up, he said, "You know, if you're in trouble, the police are probably going to help you. I mean, you're just a kid, after all- and you technically haven't done anything really bad yet. So how 'bout it? Return your Magmortar and surrender."

Warren could see that Locke was mulling it over. Slowly, he moved closer to the strange boy and continued, "You seem like a good kid. You know what you're doing is wrong, right? What would your family think if they saw you attacking a day-care center?" He paused. "Come to think of it, _why _are you attacking a day-care center for? It's not like they're rich or anything..."

Locke glanced up at him, and Warren felt a chill run down his spine. It was a sudden thing, but the realization soon settled in that he had said something wrong, that the kid wasn't about to just give in without a fight.

After all, Warren remembered, he still had one other pokemon.

"I'm sorry," Locke said earnestly with a small inclination of his head, "But I can't turn myself in now. I still have things to do." He chuckled softly, in a defeated way that put Warren on edge. "Of course, I wouldn't want to fight you, not with my pokemon knocked out like this. Maybe it was just bad luck that we met, but thank you anyways for your offer."

He shifted slightly, and Warren realized, with a start, that his last pokeball had somehow made it to his hand without his notice. Locke flashed them a small, weak smile, and then a flash of light illuminated the darkened basement, blinding them temporarily.

When the light cleared, Locke and the Magmortar were gone.

Warren gaped in confusion for a while, not quite understanding what had happened. It wasn't until Jaws started nibbling on his fingers did he realize, with much disappointment, that Locke's last pokemon had teleported the boy out of the basement. And if he could teleport, who knew where he would be now? Definitely not within the vicinity, that was for sure.

Tony seemed unfazed by it all. If he was angry, it didn't show on his face. Instead, he glanced briefly at Warren before digging out his cell phone. "Looks like whatever was jamming the signal is gone," he said off-handedly. "We could probably call for help now. Not that we need it since the kid escaped."

"Sorry about that."

The older boy shrugged. "You couldn't have expected it. Right now, our main priority is to ensure the safety of the pokemon eggs." He smirked slightly, examining the scorched incubator door. "Looks like it never occured to him that the passcode wouldn't work with the generators down. Warren, I'll go plug Coil up to the generator, see if we can't get it to work again. Stay here and make sure nothing else happens, alright?"

Warren nodded, and the older boy jogged off, down another corridor. It was eerily quiet, and the dying embers weren't much light to see by. If it weren't for Jaws, rubbing its head by his knees, Warren could almost imagine that he was in some sort of nightmare- dark, with no escape evident. Impulsively, he picked up the little ground pokemon and hugged it close to his chest. It wasn't Gnat, but it was enough to remind him that he wasn't alone.

The light flickered on after a while, and soon the basement was illuminated by dim ceiling lights that somehow escaped his notice when he first entered the basement. In this light, he could see that the incubator door was big, and made out of steel. Scratch claws trailed down its surface, and Warren wondered exactly how long Locke and his Magmortar were hammering on that door. By its side, there was a small device for the passcode.

"Looks like Coil has enough juice to keep it running for a while," Tony said as he jogged back in. "I'll see about calling an electrician later on. Gramps should have an electric pokemon somewhere around as well, so I think most of the trouble's been averted. Now let's see what it was that Locke wanted to get so badly."

Warren watched as Tony punched in the passcode (how he knew it was another question Warren figured was best that he didn't ask). There was a 'click', and then the door swished open, revealing what seemed to be a giant storeroom of eggs. Rows upon rows of what seemed to be metallic shelves holding dozens, maybe even hundreds of pokemon eggs sat within the tightly-packed room, a dull red light cast upon their various, multi-coloured shells. Warren briefly wondered just how many trainers and breeders must have come by here for there to be so many eggs, and watched with mild amusement as Tony rushed to and fro, checking up on the eggs' condition.

However, before he could comment on the older boy's manic dashing about, something caught his eye. It was a blue egg, sitting a fair distance away from the others and just in front of him, placed alone on a small pedestal. There were small, dark blue dots on its shell, and to the untrained eye, it would have seemed like just another pokemon egg.

But Warren grew up on legends, on stories that were quite possibly true and quite possibly not. His home was filled with paintings and texts pertaining to all things mysterious and powerful in the pokemon world, and he was quite a studious reader of the information that his family had kept over the centuries. So when he saw the egg, he felt his heart skip a beat, and he almost dropped Jaws right there and then. After all, what he was seeing was what his father had even admitted to possibly not existing.

"Warren, what's wrong?" Tony, having noticed his silence, glanced at the younger boy, a worried frown on his face.

Warren hesitated, wondering whether he should speak up. But there was no harm in it, was there? It wasn't like it was the Brightly clan's super-top-secret information. Plus he was curious as to the circumstances of the egg's apperance, as well. Cautiously, he asked, "Do you know what that is?"

Tony took a glance at the egg. "Ah," the older boy said after a while. "That would be an egg."

Warren couldn't tell if the older boy was joking or not. "It's not just _an _egg, Tony," he said with a sigh. "That egg there is probably more rare than any other egg in the universe! At least, that's what I think it is. I've only seen the drawings, after all."

"Well, it's certainly not grouped with the rest of them, if that's what you're saying," Tony noted. "Any idea what it is?"

"That," Warren said, his voice trembling slightly and his arms tightening around Jaws, "is the egg of the legendary pokemon, Manaphy."

* * *

Next: Dew and Alex have a midnight chat, and more is eventually revealed.

So, after the horror of writing myself into a corner (for once), I have decided to take a month break to see if I can get some buffer chapters up between now and the next time I post. Hopefully, it'll turn out better because now I know that I absolutely hate indoor fight-scenes and that I shouldn't try juggling two perspectives in the same chapter at once. Read and review and all that, etcetera etcetera...


	24. Common Ground

Wheee. First post after my hiatus which was mostly filled with other things, so I wasn't able to get as much buffer chapters done, but I can promise you guys that there will be a chapter next week... or the week after next. I'm not quite sure which update schedule would make it easier for me to type out chapter 25. But chapter 24 is all set and ready to go after a few more minor adjustments as long as chapter 25 doesn't need any more plot set up. Anyways, enjoy~

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Common Ground

Alex was subdued when Gramps and Granny led us down to the incubator, Rose the Houndoom tailing behind us. There was no sign of Faust anywhere, and though he tried to hide it, I saw Alex watching the area out of the corner of his eye, a despondent look on his face.

Girafarig gave me a small nudge and shook its head- Alex's problems were Alex's alone, it seemed to say, and I had no right to interfere. Not for the sake of my curiousity.

We found Tony and Warren in the basement, with the latter babbling on excitedly about how they had some sort of legendary egg stashed in the incubator and how there was this epic fight- evidenced by the scorch marks on the earthen ground and the numerous tell-tale signs of battle. Tony seemed more relieved than anything else; or at least, I presumed he was- the frown that was on his face was gone, replaced by a weary, tight-lipped smile.

Things moved quickly after that- there were authorities to call and pokemon eggs to check on. All throughout, the rush of activity managed to overwrite the sense of fear that had hung thick over the day-care center, but seeing so many uniformed people rushing about made me feel uneasy, so I stayed out of the way as long as I could.

At least, until the police decided to question me for my statement. I was hesitant as to how much I should actually say, but after our harrowing experience, I just wanted all of the problems that had been dogging my footsteps since Violet to just go away. I blurted out everything- the reason why we came to the day-care center, the Electabuzz and its owner, how we split up, how we suddenly got attacked by the Alakazam, the reason why I thought the Alakazam was targetting me.

The officer in charge of taking my statement looked skeptical as he recorded everything I said. "Right. So you were attacked by a rogue psychic pokemon that belonged to the person that attacked the Sprout Tower, which you just so happened to be in during the time of the attack, while helping out the day-care center folks in the middle of a botched roberry job by a ten year old kid? And you're just another ten year old kid who was just passing by? Do you even know how unlikely it is for the events you just described to happen?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Violet PD did say that one of their captured pokemon recently escaped," the officer's partner supplied helpfully, oblivious to the chill that ran down my spine. "And they are saying that the Sprout Tower attacks were linked to the Olivine ones..."

"That's because Violet's filled with idiots," the former replied, rolling his eyes. "I swear, our job is to keep the order around here, but there's not much point if we're getting beaten up by pokemon every second of the day. If it's not rogue pokemon, it's Neo Team Rocket or Team Rocket Nova or whatever those morons are calling themselves these days. And if it's not them, it's kiddy trainers who just so happen to have more badges than we did. I think we lose as much money battling those tykes as we make-"

I watched in bemusement as the partner angrily dragged the officer off into their car before zooming off.

By the time everything had settled down, it was already early evening, and I was in no condition to go out camping again. Luckily enough, the boys had the same idea, and the caretakers were kind enough to repay our efforts earlier that day by letting us stay over. They even had the older models of the healing machines that the Pokemon Centers used to heal our pokemon.

"A few years ago, we actually kept trainer pokemon here, you see," Granny explained as she spooned out a thick stew into our bowls. "Raised them when trainers weren't able of doing so themselves. Naturally, there were fights almost every single minute of the day. Different trainers, different pokemon, same roof. We were already breeding pokemon on the side for the breeders, but then the research center back in New Bark Town contacted us and asked us to raise pokemon eggs for them."

"Frankly," Gramps cut in, a faint smile crinkling his wrinkled skin, "it's a lot easier watching over eggs than chasing after energetic little Rattata."

"So the egg that Professor Elm is losing what little hair he has left over- that would be the Manaphy egg, yes?" Tony chewed slowly on a carrot, watching the rest of the table intensely.

The caretakers exchanged glances. Finally, Gramps said, "To be honest, we're not quite sure. Remember, you were the ones who declared that it was the egg of a legendary pokemon."

Tony coughed delicately, and Warren scratched the tip of his nose bashfully.

"Legendary pokemon aren't supposed to exist," Granny continued calmly, splashing more stew into Warren's empty bowl. "But the circumstances in which we found the egg were... quite unusual."

"Unusual how?" Warren asked, lowering his spoon.

"Most pokemon, we realize, don't leave their eggs alone without any form of defense," Granny explained. "But when we found this egg, it was floating in the middle of the sea, without any protection. Yet, no wild pokemon had come to claim it. Moreover, when we found it... it was glowing. When I touched it, I could almost feel the baby pokemon through the shell, moving against my fingertips." She paused, placing the giant scoop back into the pot in front of us. "It hasn't glowed since then, and it has been three months since we brought it back to the daycare center. It shows no sign of hatching, despite our best efforts. Our machines register life, but whatever it is, it doesn't seem like it wants to come out."

I could see Warren's eyes sparkle as the gears worked in his head. What was he thinking, I wondered? I knew it was his quest to find a legendary pokemon, and that the egg in question was related to a legendary pokemon (or so he thought). But before he could voice his thoughts, there was a cluttering sound from the side where Alex sat. The dark-haired boy had stood up, shoving himself away from the table, his eyes glinting dangerously in the light, daring anyone to challenge him.

"I'm off to bed," he said brusquely as he turned to leave. "It's been a long day."

Granny huffed and Gramps arched an eyebrow, while Warren watched him leave in confusion even as Tony studied his behaviour with pursed lips. Nobody said anything, because nobody knew what to say to such an angry-sounding boy.

But when I glimpsed at his bowl later, after he slammed the door tightly shut, I realized he barely touched his food at all.

"Leave him be," Tony said quietly after a few tense seconds. "It's been a long day, as he said. We should all rest early. In fact, I think we should just spend a few days here to let us rest collect our nerves before setting out again."

There were silent murmurs of assent around the table. Granny quickly doled out the leftover stew, which somehow didn't taste quite as delicious as before, and Gramps bade us goodnight before we left for our respective rooms. I managed a weak goodnight to Warren and Tony, but as soon as I entered the spare room Granny had showed me, all the trepidation that had been building up during the entire day came crashing down on me again.

Which brought me to where I was now.

* * *

It was dark and quiet.

I stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep, despite the fact that I had turned off the lights at least three hours ago. It was quiet without the boys, unnerving. I wanted to let my pokemon out, but at the same time, I didn't want to actually have to _need _them. The occasional call of a Hoot-hoot was the only sound I heard. Well, that and my own heavy breathing. Dim light streamed through the open window, but it wasn't much to see by- in fact, all it did was cast hauntingly eerie silhouettes on the walls; shadow monsters that seemed to be taunting me to close my eyes and pretend that they didn't exist.

I couldn't close my eyes anymore, could I?

The Alakazam had found me- probably without Esper's notice- and, just like I had known, had tried to kill both Alex and I. If it weren't for Faust, I had no idea how we would survive. Even Girafarig, for all it's determination, could barely scratch it, and from the way Faust didn't show up after the fight, the ghost pokemon was far from reliable.

I had thought that as long as I ignored the problem, it would go away, eventually. Just like I had been ignoring Alex and Tony; just like I had been ignoring my pokemon. I was ten years old, after all. Things usually solved themselves without me getting involved in them, mostly because nobody cared whether a kid was involved or not. Always, there were always adults to solve all these hard problems for me- my teachers, my Dad. But now I was on a pokemon journey, and I was entirely alone.

I was pretty sure most ten year olds didn't have it as bad as I did, though.

A slight wind blew through the open window, rustling the curtains. On the wall, the shadows moved- and I could swear one of them was smirking at me. Like the Gastly from Sprout Tower. Like Faust. Even if he had saved my life, that Haunter had been the unknown ghost that terrorized me back in Ilex Forest, I knew. And the way he looked scared the living daylights out of me. Who knew? Maybe he was watching me right now, waiting for an oppurtunity to scare me again, just before he decided that I would make a good meal to go down with a glass of wine.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but when I did so, I could hear that whispering sound that accompanied Esper and Alakazam when they teleported away, that taunting laughter echoing in my ears. I could hear footsteps, like those of a Banette creeping up from the shadows to devour the souls of unwary children.

... In fact, they were sounding kind of loud. Real, even.

There was a shiver of fear down my spine, and I squeezed my eyes shut even tighter. There was the creak of wooden planks as the mysterious presence passed by my door, and I could make out the light sound of breathing whispering through the air. There was someone- some_thing- _there, and my mind went into a dizzy frenzy as it attempted to calculate exactly how old the house was. It looked old, after all, and huge- much bigger than the houses I had seen in Violet. Could it possibly be old enough to hold some sort of sinister, dark past and a poltergeist or two?

The footsteps had stopped, and though I refused to even move, I knew that the presence hadn't left yet. Was it coming after me? Should I send out Girafarig? What was I doing, why was I still staying still, _do _something Dew, run for your life-

And then, in a voice no more than a whisper, the mysterious stranger shattered the fear I felt with one word.

"Faust?"

I felt myself tense, and then, as my mind started working again, I realized that it was Alex. Alex was outside my door, looking for Faust. Looking for his Haunter which had upped and vanished on him.

There was silence, and then I heard the barest hint of a despondent chuckle before the footsteps started up again and Alex moved on. I slowly let out the breath I was holding, listening as Alex descended the wooden staircase in silence. Part of me felt guilty- it was as if I had, for a brief moment, seen a glimpse of Alex when he wasn't being a mean jerkface, and he had sounded so... lost. And I _liked _having Alex be a mean jerkface and not some other kid with his own problems and stuff, because it made it easier for me to hate him. Made it easier for me to ignore him.

But I couldn't ignore problems anymore, could I?

I bit my lip, silently debating the wisdom of chasing after the dark-haired boy before reaching a decision. I threw off my blankets and shivered as the cold night air touched my skin, but after a moment's hesitation, I slipped out of bed and opened the door. Alex was nowhere in sight, but as I slowly crept down the stairs (half out of fear; half out of caution) I noticed that the kitchen light was on.

Alex was sitting there, a half-drunk glass of milk and a newly-opened pack of cookies in front of him, with half of a chocolate chip cookie in his hand. He looked a bit shocked by my entrance, frozen like Girafarig had been when I first talked to it, and seemed to be waiting for me to make the first move.

"I- uh, I couldn't sleep," I said (which was true).

Alex took one glance at me, and I could see his posture relax before he gestured me towards the table. It was odd that he was being as nice as he was right now, I thought, but I decided not to push my luck- I didn't want to end up in an argument with him in the middle of the night.

"Cookie?" He offered the opened pack of cookies to me. It was one of those cheap brands you could buy in a Pokemart any old day, but the very fact that Alex offered it to me made it seem like it was some sort of dangerous object which I really shouldn't touch.

I silently weighed the options before shaking my head. Alex shrugged. "Suit yourself. Helps to sleep when you're on a full stomach though."

He had a point there. While I had eaten earlier on during dinner, my stomach was already growling in response to the scent of food. "Maybe just a bit, then," I muttered, sitting into the chair in front of the dark-haired boy. He watched me like a Noctowl as I slid a small cookie out and nibbled on it, trying my best to avoid his gaze.

"You shouldn't keep secrets about people trying to kill you, you know," he said aloud. When I looked up, I saw that he was watching me with his dark eyes, his cheeks puffed up in indignation. "Why didn't you say that you were being chased by a rogue psychic pokemon earlier on? It would have saved us a lot of trouble if we knew you were being hunted. Like, maybe we wouldn't even be travelling with you and caught up in your mess!"

"It's not like I knew there was a rogue psychic pokemon after me, you know," I pointed out irritatedly. I had thought it was weird that he was being so nice to me, though I never considered that he might have wanted to interogate me for everything that had happened to him earlier that day.

"Right, but it mentioned a trainer." Alex scarcely missed a beat. "How come you never once said anything?"

My initial confusion made me pause for a moment. "I did. Nobody believed me. Remember Ilex?"

Alex frowned. "Well, that's 'cause you made it sound so weird. I mean, seriously, Suicune? Celebi? It sounded like something a kid who read way too many fantasy stories came up with."

I nodded. "And that's why I never said anything."

"What about the police then?" I arched an eyebrow, and Alex, obviously remembering what happened when the police _did_ come, sighed and bit into another cookie. "Right, they wouldn't believe you because you're just a kid."

I nodded, though I heard the boy mutter, "Doesn't help that you _act _like someone with their head in the clouds."

"I heard that."

"Maybe I _wanted_ you to hear that." Alex glared at me and bit down hard on his cookie. "You don't seem too concerned over the fact that you _might actually die_. You know, total game over? And you were totally spacing out earlier on today! If it weren't for Faust and I were there..."

Alex shook his head and fell abruptly silent, turning away from me. The dark look on his face when he mentioned the ghost pokemon's name was terrifying, especially since the kitchen lights weren't particularly bright, and the silence that fell over the room was stiffling. Suddenly, the cookie crumbs in my mouth felt itchy and and my throat felt dry.

"It's not like I'm the only one keeping dangerous secrets," I said quietly. "Did you ever tell Tony about Faust?"

Alex flinched, and for a moment, I thought he would yell at me or something, but instead, he shook his head sullenly. "I don't use him for battle usually, and it's not like there's any need for me to tell anyone about Faust. It's not like he's not dangerous or anything, so-"

"Faust attacked me back in Ilex Forest."

He didn't even looked shocked when he shook his head. "That was Faust messing with ya. He only does that with people he likes. Ghost pokemon, and all. He didn't mean any harm."

"He scared me out of my skin, Alex!"

"He saved your life." The boy's retort was firm, but somehow it sounded so broken. "That's more than he's ever done for me."

I sat back in my seat. Alex's face was the same as it always was, but his eyes seemed to hold a deep, pervading sense of sadness and loneliness. He seemed to have realized that I was staring at him, because he folded his arms and attempted to look as gruff as he could manage.

"Look, it's n-not like I care what that stupid Haunter thinks about me or anything," he spat as viciously as he could, "Bu-but, it's not right that a pokemon doesn't listen to it's trainer!"

I had not expected Alex to react this way. I had been angry, resentful at Alex for letting Faust run loose, but now, I could only wonder. "Why doesn't Faust listen to you anyway?" I asked.

Alex glared at me with the full rage of a hundred rampaging Tauros. I gulped, and I knew I shouldn't have asked that, but I couldn't help myself for wanting to know about the ghost pokemon that I thought was also out to kill me, so much so that I didn't even consider for once how Alex must have felt. I knew what it felt like to have pokemon that didn't listen to you, and I knew how humiliated and angry a proud boy like Alex must've been, to have someone like me ask him about his problems-

"I caught Faust by accident, three years ago. Took a stroll down a cemetary and hurled a pokeball. Thought I was gonna catch a Gastly but, well..." Alex turned his gaze away from me, and it sounded like he was speaking through clenched teeth.

Not that I was about to let him get away with just that cryptic message. "How can you catch anything by accident?" I asked. "Besides, can't you release him or something if that's the case?"

"Hey, just 'cause I caught him by accident doesn't mean I don't want him to by my pokemon," Alex retorted. "It just means that, to that idiot of a Haunter, I'm not his rightful trainer. And you saw how powerful he is. He probably doesn't like being the pokemon of a newbie like me."

"So, what, you just let him run loose in the hopes he'll change his mind?"

"Well, what else can I do?" Alex all but spat. "He doesn't listen to me, he derides me, he doesn't even bother to _talk_ to me most of the time- All I can do is keep trying to be stronger, someone deserving of his respect." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Hell, I don't know why I'm even telling you all of this."

He glanced at me warily, embarrased by what he had just said. But I knew what he meant. After all, the words that Alex said resounded with my own feelings when I thought about Girafarig. Not that he would be inclined to believe that, though.

We sat in silence for a while. Then, Alex spoke.

"So you aren't gonna do anything about that rogue trainer that wants to kill you?"

I shrugged. "Keep moving, I guess. And get stronger, quick."

"Tch. Stubborn as a Tauros, huh." Alex sighed and made a big show of scratching his nose. "Guess that means I'll have to figure out a way to keep up with you and drag Faust along for the ride. Way I figure, he's probably the strongest thing around here that can save you if things go south quick."

I stared at Alex- who was doing his best not to glance at me- and I felt all the fear and worry I had felt slowly drain away, replaced by this small feeling of warmth in my chest.

"Hey, Alex?" I spoke up.

The boy, tired from his earlier tirade, rubbed his eyes and glanced at me warily. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Psh." He rolled his eyes as he got up, crushing the empty cookie packet in his hand before throwing it into a nearby trashcan. "Don't get any funny ideas about me going easy on you or anything, though. I still hate wimps like you."

"Then why tell me anything at all?" I could feel a small smile tugging at the edge of my lips. "Why _do_ anything for me at all?"

Alex seemed to seriously consider the question.

"I guess it's 'cause you're my rival," he finally decided, scratching the tip of his nose. "And, well, since we were classmates..."

"But I seriously don't remember having you in class."

"Seriously? But we've been in the same class for three years!"

"E-eh... well, everyone looked kinda similar after a while and I never really bothered to remember people's names..."

"Dewdrop, did I ever tell you how much you suck?"

"You picking for a fight, Alex?"

"Psh, like you could even do anything in a fight!" Alex smirked, a bit more life in his eyes now than during dinner, and chuckled slightly. "Y'know, Dewdrop, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you came to cheer me up."

"I'd have to actually be worried about you to do that, Alex," I retorted with a huff.

The dark haired boy chuckled once more, then with a slight wave, he left the room, the sound of his footsteps resounding against the floorboards before they disappeared entirely.

It was some time before I finally followed him up and returned to my room. I stared at the ceiling for a while, uncertain of what to make of the conversation I just had. It was just a normal conversation between two people, and yet, it was also a sort of truce. It was the first time I really talked to Alex, the first time he had really talked to _me_- not as a weakling, or as a fool, but someone of an equal caliber.

Our goals really weren't that different, now that I looked upon them. And what Alex had said- that I was his rival- it was more than that. It was as if, sometime during the fight against Alakazam, we had attained an understanding between the two of us. Granted, nothing much had changed and Alex was still a mean jerkface, but I realized something else now; that Alex was still just a kid, a kid like me, who hadn't opted out of the dangers of travelling with me despite knowing the full circumstances, and that under his gruff exterior, he wasn't such a bad person after all.

_His rival, huh. _I sighed. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all, just like Dad had always said. And I had something I needed to do before we left the day-care center, something which I did not quite want to do, in fear of the answers I would find.

Well, no more running. If I wanted to be a pokemon trainer, I would first have to learn exactly who was it that set me on that path to begin with. I had to find out who was Girafarig's original trainer.

* * *

Meep meep. Read, review, constructive criticism, you know, the usual.

Also, I know I botched up the Manaphy egg description, which I will go back and edit if I have time, so just bear with it for the while .


	25. Three Steps Ahead

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who's been following this story. I never expected it to make it this far before I lost interest, and to be honest, it's really gratifying to know that there are people who actually consider my lololol writing as worth reading, and it's because of you guys that I'll continue pushing this fanfic as far as it can go. So, without further ado, Chapter 24!

* * *

**Chapter 24**

Three Steps Ahead

The new day found me, not frolicking in the sun or anything stupid like that, but following Granny's footsteps down to the basement, taking a turn into a well-hidden room beyond the incubation chamber, while Girafarig nervously dogged my steps.

"Here," Granny announced as she swung the door open, oblivious to me choking on the dust cloud that was just released, "is where we keep our records. What did you say you were looking for again?"

"Giira," Girafarig neighed worriedly, shaking its head as it backed away from the room. It obviously didn't want me to start digging into the old records that could possibly hold a clue as to its origins, and was pretty adamant about not going in.

"Oh, come on," I sighed, "You were the one who decided to follow me, you know." At Girafarig's glare, I slung an arm around its neck and forcibly dragged it in (which wasn't easy, but Girafarig knew a hopeless situation when it saw one- even if it wasn't there, I would still be searching the records, after all.) We made our way through the piles of old ledger books and hastily written notes which littered the ground, trying to avoid stepping on anything valuable. The very fact that we managed to make it to the other end of the room, where Granny waited for us with an amused smile, despite having six limbs in total and a path about two feet wide to walk through was incredible enough.

"That Girafarig, huh." Granny sniffed disdainfully, scrutinizing Girafarig with a breeder's eye. "Well, the quality of its fur indicates its good pedigree, but it's far from being the only Girafarig I've seen bred within these doors. How old did you say it was?"

"I don't know," I admitted, glancing towards the psychic pokemon. Girafarig apparently decided to take that exact moment to examine the sole lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and declined to comment.

"Mm, less than ten years old, definitely." Granny shuffled towards a pile of ledgers lined up on a ridiculously tall bookshelf. "They aren't that common, Girafarig- especially those with Wish- but this is just one of the twenty-odd breeding centers scattered throughout Johto, much less the world. It's very possible that this Girafarig never set foot upon Goldenrod soil until yesterday."

"It's a start," I said as cheerfully as I could, dragging Girafarig away from a nearby drawer when it looked like it was about to kick something over. Not completely by accident, of course. "Besides, the very fact that Girafarig's putting up this much of a fuss must mean something."

"Giiiii," Girafarig whined, trying to toss its head. Luckily, in the enclosed quarters, I managed to restrain its movement somewhat, so it was left to fume at me in silence.

"What's so bad about finding out who's your trainer anyways?" I asked it.

Girafarig shook its head and chose not to respond.

I sighed and turned my attention towards flipping through one of the nearest record books I could find. While I would have preferred coming down here alone with Granny, somehow Girafarig had caught wind of my scheme and had, ever since breakfast, remained firmly attached at my side, trying to lure me outside with Warren and Alex, or into the library with Tony, or even the kitchen with Gramps. Anywhere, it seemed, but here. While it had not resorted to forcefully stopping me from pursuing my personal quest, I had somehow misplaced its pokeball (which had suspiciously vanished from my bagpack sometime after I asked Granny to examine the record room) and so, here we were.

It wasn't as though I enjoyed sifting through lines upon lines of names and dates (I wasn't one of the worst students in school for nothing), and it wasn't like I wanted to spend my day-off from pokemon training sorting through old books, but I figured that I had to know. Who was this person that gave me my first pokemon? Why did they give it to _me, _of all people? Surely there was some ulterior motive for all this, and whatever it was, my instinct told me it was bad. And the last thing I needed while I was being chased cross-country by homicidal trainers was to have yet another disaster waiting to strike; especially if it involved Girafarig, somehow.

"So you're Mr Eldridge's daughter, eh?" Granny's question came out-of-the blue, and she chuckled when I gaped at her. "Don't look so surprised, girl. Your Dad's been an old customer at this establishment for years. Practically all the ranchers in the region are. Haven't seen your old man in years though."

That made sense. There were times when Dad would be gone for weeks on end, back when Mom was still with us, and whenever he returned, he would be accompanied by happy baby Mareep or an egg or two. Those were times long gone, and I remembered only vague pieces of memories- like how soft the Mareep's wool was, or how Mom and Dad would talk all night about his journey- but they were times when we were happy, when things were simpler. I didn't think Dad hated pokemon that much back then, or frowned that much, but I couldn't be sure. After Mom... left, those happy days had all but ended, and Dad was always solemn and serious, scarcely cracking a joke or smiling.

"How's Delilah doing?" Granny seemed oblivous to my reminiscing, and had happily tossed another book over her shoulder, quickly flipping through another one.

"Are-aren't those books supposed to be precious or something?"

"I'm their owner," Granny responded with a shrug. "I'll say whether they're precious or not. Useless, for the most part. But how about answering my question?"

"How do you know Delilah?" I asked. Somehow, I wasn't too surprised that this old grandmother knew about her- standard reasoning suggested that since she knew Dad, she must have met that ornery little Houndour sometime or another.

Granny shrugged. "You know Rose, our Houndoom? Delilah's her kid. Bred and raised right here in this very house. Sweetest little pooch your eyes would ever see."

I blinked, remembering the angry old Houndoom that followed Gramps everywhere he went. "'Sweet' isn't really the first thing that comes to mind when you mention Delilah," I said, "but she and Dad are doing fine back home, given the circumstances."

"Ah." Granny nodded knowingly, and I wasn't sure whether she knew about Dad's hospitalization or not, but whatever the case, it seemed better to let the matter drop.

We chatted briefly as we sorted through the records, trying to find anything pertaining to any Girafarig born within the last ten years. Meanwhile, Girafarig had finally given up its attempt to drag me away from the records room, choosing to settle down near the door, waiting for us to finish. That didn't stop it from glaring at me every half-hour or so, but at least it wasn't doing anything funny like destroying the record books or anything. In fact, I was surprised that it hadn't done anything drastic yet, especially since it was adamant that I should not dig into its past, but I was more than happy to not give it much thought.

I had no idea how long we stayed there, leafing through old books. An hour, maybe two. Names and dates zoomed through my mind, and soon they all blurred together. I was getting quite dizzy sorting through all this information, considering I was never good at sorting through information to begin with, and from that smirking look in its eyes, I knew Girafarig thought it was well-deserved punishment.

"Oh, well, this is interesting," Granny said suddenly, waving me over. "Take a look at this. Someone left a Girafarig for us five years ago, and an egg was the result of that. When the pokemon was hatched, it was able to use the skill 'Wish'."

I made my way through the piles of discarded books around the old woman and peered over her shoulder. In one of the lines was a name. A name that immediately sent a cold shiver down my spine.

"What in Arceus's name- please tell me this is a joke."

Granny arched an eyebrow. "Like it or not, seems like your mysterious benefactor wants to stay mysterious for a very long time."

Listed there, under where the owner's name should be was a single name written in a cursive script: _Budew Eldridge_

When I looked at Girafarig, it only snorted once, calmly got up, and walked away, a small smile on its lips.

I sighed and thought, rubbing my aching forehead: _Of course. It can't ever be _that _easy, can it?_

* * *

"What's the big deal about owning a pokemon when you were five?" Warren asked later as he looked up from poking Spinner the Spinarak with a finger. He lay sprawled across the guest bed in his room, with Gnat sat quietly nearby, watching us talk. "I mean, I caught Gnat around the same time. It's not that big a deal."

"I don't remember having any pokemon when I was five that weren't Mareep," I pointed out, taking care to fold my arms so that Jaws, who had somehow crawled into my lap, wouldn't get any ideas about eating my fingers. "Besides, I've never been here in my entire life!"

"But you would think that were security checks or something. I mean, what's to stop me from signing myself off as 'Warren Brightly the Brave and Unstoppable Bug Trainer' then?"

"Probably because that's a ridiculously long name, but that's just it! There _were_ checks, but somehow, this guy managed to hack past the systems and get himself a proper trainer ID with my name- or a very good fake that fooled both Granny and Gramps."

Warren frowned in thought. "Well, I guess he's just a very good hacker."

I let out a scream in frustration, throwing my hands up into the air. "He's more than just very good- he's planned everything three steps ahead! And Girafarig won't tell me _anything_."

"Did Granny get a good look at the guy then?" Warren seemed more interested in playing with the little Spinarak and Gnat than my current predicament, but at least he was still responding to what I said. Which was better than Girafarig, I guess.

I shook my head glumly and sighed, slumping over the chair. That was one of the first things I had asked Granny, but she had merely told me that she was an old senile lady and she didn't remember _everyone _that came through here, did I think she was superhuman or something?

I scrunched my face up and started stroking Jaw's bulbous head. Tracing the scratchy surface of his skin comforted my nerves somewhat, and the Trapinch must have realized that, as it just sat still, watching me with curious eyes. "I just don't get why anyone would want to give me a pokemon out of the blue. More importantly, I want to know what he was doing with my name five years ago! There's just no point to any of this!"

"Maybe you just have a stalker or something."

"Warren!"

Warren grinned and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Don't worry. If it was a real stalker, I'd beat him in a battle and turn him into the cops. By the way, I wouldn't leave your hands dangling like that."

I looked around, confused by his statement. Until a sudden pain jolt through my fingers made me realize that I had been bitten by Jaws. The treacherous little ground type looked up innocently at me, my hand clamped tightly in between his teeth.

Warren nodded in approval. "It seems that he likes you," he said.

I glared at both of them. Warren ignored me, while Jaws was completely oblivious to my inner thoughts of throwing him out the window and continued munching on my digits.

"You know, maybe you're just looking at this the wrong way," Warren said as Spinner started crawling up his arm. "I mean, it was incredibly lucky that you had a pokemon when the Sprout Tower was attacked. If not for that, you would have been unable to protect yourself, right? And since you have a pokemon, you could actually set out on a journey and stuff. It's more like a blessing in disguise, really."

I sighed, using my free hand to pry Jaws' jaws open. "Sure doesn't feel like a blessing right now when I have Trapinch slobber all over my hand though."

Warren chuckled and grinned. "Cheer up. It could be worse- you could be covered in Poison Powder and sneezing non-stop for twelve hours because you had no idea you were allergic."

"But-"

"I'm not saying that you should completely forget about finding this mysterious trainer of yours." Warren made a face as Spinarak decided that it wanted to perch on his head. "But you should really lighten up, Dew. It's not the end of the world if you don't find the answer today, or tomorrow, and you don't have to know a pokemon's past in order for it to trust you."

"Then what should I do?"

Warren shrugged. "I dunno. If I were you, I'd just spend more time with my pokemon, get to learn who they are and stuff. Oh yeah!"

I found myself shirking away from Warren when he whipped around with an index finger pointing in my direction, a sparkle in his eyes. "... What?"

"You should totally give them nicknames!"

I stared at him for a moment, and then I picked up the dormant little Trapinch in my lap and hurled it at his face. I could have sworn that Jaws let out a joyous little whine as it flew through the air before hitting Warren head-on. The boy let out a startled yelp, falling back onto the soft mattress, suddenly aware that there were two pokemon clambering on top of his head.

I chuckled as Jaws and Spinner started fighting over who deserved to be the king of Warren's face, Gnat looking on in puzzlement as the boy attempted to get his pokemon off his face. Finally, when he was finally able to breathe, Warren shot me an annoyed look before settling back on the bed.

"Anyway, joking aside, we should really talk about what we're gonna do next."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Warren glanced at me. "You haven't forgotten what the original purpose of this journey is, have you?"

I shook my head, my mind thumbing through my memories of the last few weeks. "Uh. You want to find the legendary pokemon and stop wild pokemon attacks while winning the Pokemon League?"

Warren nodded and sighed softly, fiddling with his hat. "It started in Hoenn yesterday."

I blinked blankly. Obviously, he meant the news to be something serious, but... "What started?"

"The attacks." Warren sat up, his face utterly serious. "A swarm of Wingull attacked people at Lilycove Beach yesterday afternoon. Nobody was seriously injured, but Dew, what I thought to be just a regional problem is slowly spreading. It can't be Esper, not with her attacking you in Ilex, so I'm forced to assume that it happened utterly without human interference. Something is going wrong with the pokemon, and we don't even have a clue as to what it is."

I settled back down onto the seat. "The Pokemon researchers must have _some _idea. Right?"

"If they did, they would have told the whole world by now." Warren sighed. "We really need to find those legendary pokemon soon, since nobody in the scientific community will believe that they even exist. Except maybe my Dad, but even he didn't want me doing this to begin with."

I frowned. "So, then what?"

Warren started aimlessly patting Gnat on the head. "We need to get to Ecruteak as soon as possible. People say that Ho-oh might have re-appeared there a couple of years ago. 'Course, this is all rumors and stuff, but it's the city with the most history with legendary pokemon. If nowhere else, that's where we'll find our targets. But even then..."

"Even then?" I questioned, not liking where this conversation was going. Serious Warren always said the things I liked least to hear.

"Dew." His voice was soft as he sat up, looking me directly in the eyes. "I think the legendary pokemon are the ones inciting the wild pokemon to attack. So even if we do find them, we might have to fight them."

A chill went down my spine. "Woah, woah, woah. Hold on, Warren. Where did you go from legendary pokemon having the answers to our problems to they're the ones causing it? Especially since we've never actually talked to one?"

Warren shrugged. "Just a hunch. But if no human is causing all the wild pokemon to attack, then what is?"

I didn't have an answer.

Nodding, Warren smiled softly. "I'm hoping I'm wrong, of course. I mean, hell, you say you saw Suicune and it didn't attack you, but-"

"Yeah." I nodded. "If we do have to fight them, we've got to be ready, right?"

The young boy glanced at me. "They're strong, Dew. Far stronger than any normal pokemon we're ever likely to meet. You can't ever forget that."

* * *

I wandered listlessly for a while, uncertain where to go or what to do. The conversation with Warren gave me the creeps everytime I thought about it, and I spent the whole day trying to forget it. I spent some time spying Alex and Tony having a pokemon match from an upstairs window (it was a Bellsprout vs Magnemite match; from the looks of it, Tony was winning) and talked to Gramps and Granny for a bit before I finally decided to go look for Girafarig's missing pokeball.

There was no doubt in my mind that the psychic pokemon had hid it, but the question was, where on earth would a Girafarig hide anything? It was taller than me, which meant that I had to search places that were normally beyond my reach, and ended up climbing up stools and tables for the rest of the afternoon to look within the higher cupboards and the top of bookshelves. Through it all, I didn't bump into the psychic pokemon at all. Knowing Girafarig, it was probably avoiding me, but since I wasn't too keen in talking to it any time soon, I didn't bother too much about it.

It was sometime after three that I finally admitted defeat. The pokeball would turn up eventually when Girafarig finally decided that hiding it wasn't serving its purpose anymore. And if there was one thing I was absolutely sure of, it's that no matter how much Girafarig didn't like listening to me, it was still adamant about being _my_ pokemon. So it probably wouldn't run off and throw it's pokeball away. Probably. I mean, if it were that easy for pokemon to get released, life would be a lot harder for trainers, wouldn't it? The last thing I needed was for my Girafarig to suddenly realize it wasn't my pokemon anymore because it misplaced its pokeball.

I sighed, slumping into a nearby chair, and thought back on what Warren said.

It sounded so simple- getting to know my pokemon. Spending time with them. Mauve had said something similar, back in Azalea, but listening to those words were one thing and doing it was quite another. I had no idea how to begin- would a simple hello suffice? Talking to people was something I didn't have a lot of practice with, in between constantly hungry Mareep, an ornery Houndour, and Dad. Talking to pokemon seemed much harder. At least with humans, I found myself thinking wistfully, you didn't have to wonder what it was they were trying to say. Although Girafarig made its opinions known quite easily enough.

"Gii." The sound of hooves on the floorboards heralded Girafarig's arrival, and it stepped into the room with a pokeball in its mouth and that same unshakingly calm look in its eyes.

Despite myself, I let out a little laugh, relief washing away the apprehension I didn't know I held. "Figured there wasn't any more need to hide it?"

Girafarig snorted, dropping the pokeball on the table in front of me. "Gii-ra," it said smugly. Its tail chuckled, eyeing me with something like amusment.

I sighed and picked up the pokeball, all-too-aware that Girafarig was watching me closely, unflichingly, with its deep brown eyes. I met them with my own, and after a few minutes of no movement, I finally spoke.

"Are you waiting for me to do something?"

It snorted, throwing its mane before it decided to look away. Whatever it was that it wanted me to figure out, I obviously had not done so. Though it did look kinda angry at me about something.

"I'm sorry?" I apologized, though I wasn't exactly sure what I was apologizing for. Trying to find my mysterious benefactor, maybe? Pokemon were hard enough to read; psychic pokemon were even worse- you had no idea what they wanted from you, but they had a perfect understanding of every situation. Ever.

"Gii." I wasn't sure whether that was an acceptance of my apology, but whatever the case, Girafarig started nudging the other three pokeballs on my belt. A brief sensation of something warm and filling in my tummy, and the echo of Warren's words in my mind (Girafarig's work, no doubt) was all I needed to understand what it wanted.

"You want me to feed everyone now and get to know them?" I should have been mad at it for searching through my mind again, I guess, but I knew it would be a lost cause- until I earned its respect, there was no way Girafarig would listen to anything I say.

"Farig," Girafarig responded, a flicker of exasperation in its eyes. "You're supposed to know these things," it seemed to say. "And you truly expect me to actually trust you to be my trainer?"

As if sensing my thoughts, it snorted and turned to leave, its tail picking up the my bagpack as it did so. I found myself staring at it for a moment, then I groaned and followed, trying to avoid looking at the psychic pokemon and the smug smile I knew it was carrying. If there was one thing in the world that probably would never change, I thought with a chuckle, it would be the fact that Girafarig would always be one step ahead of me. Not that something like that was going to stop me from trying to catch up.

And the first thing to do that, like Warren said, was to try to get to know my team. Girafarig had given me the perfect oppurtunity to do so, and I wasn't about to let it go to waste.

* * *

Read, review, blah blah blah.


	26. Contact

... Um. Hm. Oddly nothing to add here. Moving on.

* * *

**Chapter 25**

Contact

"So, uh... I have an announcement, guys."

It was awkward to have four pairs of eyes and two ears turned towards me. My pokemon had been eating their fill when I spoke up, and now with their attention entirely vested in me, I was feeling more than a little awkward. _Don't worry, _I found myself thinking, _At least this wasn't as bad as the third grade show and tell when you tried to show everyone how you could do a handstand while wearing a skirt._

Admittedly, that wasn't the best memory to be having at the time, when Mareep looked like it was about to use an electric attack on me if I didn't speak up soon.

I felt a gentle nudge at my shoulder, and found Girafarig watching me again, silently encouraging me to speak. _Of course it would, _I thought. It was the one who convinced me to do this in the first place, after all.

So I cleared my throat and opened my mouth again, my mind completely blank. "So. Um. I know I haven't been a very good trainer. A-and, as you probably can guess, I don't intend to be a trainer for very long. Until Dad gets out of hospital and lands a job, maybe. And while I don't know what will happen to you guys- _us- _then, I would like to think we could all... kinda get along until then?"

More awkward silence. Zubat looked like it had no idea what I was talking about, Onix was just staring at me, and Mareep's expression hadn't changed one bit.

_Okay, time to change the subject, quick. _Mareep was probably the only other member of my team that actually understood what I was talking about, and I did not need an angry sheep chasing after me again, not when I finally got it to behave itself and have dinner peaceably with everyone else.

"R-right," I coughed, searching up what else to talk about. "Um. So, acting according to the general direction of getting all of us to be friends and stuff, why don't we give each of you nicknames?"

The reaction was spontaneous. It began with Mareep letting out a shriek, sending sparks flying through the air before Onix clamped hold of its tail and lifted it up several feet off the ground. Zubat, panicked by the sudden action, suddenly started flying in circles and shooting supersonic waves at anyone and anything. And by my side, Girafarig shook its head and let out a sigh.

I knew I should have stopped the fight, somehow, but in between Mareep roaring angrily at Onix, Onix being completely bewildered as to why Mareep bothered attacking it while its attacks were completely ineffective, and Zubat flying around in a panic and confusing anyone who got too close, I wasn't too keen on getting involved. Besides, they probably had way too much pent-up energy from not-battling for a while, so I just gaped at them helplessly.

"So, nicknames are a 'no', then?"

"Gira," Girafarig nodded. "Gi girafarig gi. Girafarig gi."

"You completely lost me after the first 'gi', Girafarig."

Girafarig huffed, and immediately I could feel its presence worming its way into my mind. Odd feelings- lonely, sad, depressing feelings- welled up from nowhere, and I felt lost and confused, and I wanted to go home, before it all disappeared like the lifting of a heavy fog. I glanced at Girafarig- something about those feelings felt more real than usual, like it was speaking out of personal experience. It glanced back at me, its face completely unreadable.

"You... think that giving pokemon a nickname will make them feel as though they've lost their identity?" I asked.

Girafarig nodded and glanced towards Mareep.

"So, I shouldn't give anyone nicknames?"

The miniature fight that had broke out now completely stopped at my question.

"Maa," Mareep spoke up with a cheerful nod. It looked kind of ridiculous, coming from a sheep that was dangling several feet in the air by a puzzled Onix's mouth, but it seemed satisfied that it got its point across. And at least it wasn't throwing stray thundershocks around anymore.

Onix, on the other hand, looked quite the opposite, with its drooping head and sad eyes. It had grown quite close to me ever since its capture, I realized. And for some odd reason, it apparently didn't feel the same way as Mareep and Girafarig and actually wanted a nickname. Perhaps having a name from a trainer it trusted made it happy?

Meanwhile, Zubat had finally calmed down and decided to perch on my shoulder and snuggled against my face.

"Gii, gira," Girafarig said with a chuckle, before trotting off to continue munching on its almost-forgotten dinner.

I sighed, scratching Zubat's belly. "What do you think I should do, Zubat?"

"Zuu," Zubat cooed, rubbing its head against my cheek with completely no opinion on the matter. It never did have much of an opinion on anything, I realized, which suited me just fine. Having only three opinions was just enough for us to always reach a decision when there were two options.

"Right. So, two-to-one, no nicknames."

Onix looked like it was about to cry, if rock pokemon could even cry.

"Hey, it's not like it's that big a deal, right?" I asked, running over to the rock pokemon before it started bawling its eyes out with Mareep still dangling from its mouth. I began patting its smooth, stone skin, hoping that it would calm it down somewhat. "It's just a name, right Onix? I-it's not like it means anything special, and knowing me, I'd probably name you something stupid like Rocky or something."

"Maa. Reep." Mareep nodded in agreement- which garnered more than a few shocked stares- before electricity started gathering up in its wool again. With a gulp, I realized that by coming close to Onix, I was only putting myself in range of the ornery sheep's attacks. I quickly persuaded Onix to let Mareep go after that, to which Mareep responded by tail whipping me once before returning to its dinner.

I sighed, trying my best to restrain Onix when it attempted to lunge towards the little sheep again. One thing I realized was that, not only did my pokemon have a tenuous bond with me, none of them really liked the others' either. Girafarig kept quiet most of the time, but I could tell that it wasn't particularly close to any of the others, and while Onix and Zubat seemed well-adjusted with me, they spent most of their time avoiding the others as well. Mareep simply hated everyone and everything, and preferred it if everyone just stayed out of its way.

"How in the world am I supposed to get you guys into a team anyways?" I muttered, shaking my head. I knew that most pokemon battles didn't really depend on group cohesion, but seeing my team scarcely tolerate each other made me feel as though I was letting them down as a trainer. Not that I expected anything to change anytime soon, but surely there was _something _I could do in order to maintain group harmony.

And then suddenly my world was swallowed up by something purple and furry. I flailed around a bit, caught completely off-guard by the thing that was now hugging my face, and when I finally pried it off, I found myself staring at an extremely pleased-looking Venonat.

"Veno," Gnat grinned.

"Of all the-" If Gnat was here, that meant that Warren was nearby. I glanced around, and soon caught sight of the boy standing nearby, facing a tree. Spinner the Spinarak was out and about, shooting strings of spiderweb at a particular branch that Warren was pointing at. Warren was intensely focused, not even glancing in my direction, and I found myself feeling a mixture of awe and depression- with that kind of determination, I knew that Warren could easily be a powerful pokemon trainer; unlike little ol' me who couldn't seem to get my act together.

"Traaap." Of course, being intensely focused meant that he had completely forgotten about his remaining two pokemon, or so it seemed. Jaws was now rubbing itself against me, much to Zubat's chagrin, and Gnat seemed facinated by my pokemon eating their dinner.

"Were you two lonely or something?" I reached out to scratch Jaws' bulbous head, the Trapinch crooning appreciatively. Zubat let out a sharp chirp of indignation before fluttering off to bother someone- Girafarig, maybe- and I sighed. Compared to these two, well-trained pokemon, mine were nothing but a bunch of clowns who didn't even know the meaning of the word 'discipline'.

That said, these were Warren's pokemon, not mine, so there was no point in me being envious of his pokemon. At least, that's what I said before Mareep starting chasing Zubat around with electric shocks when the little bat apparently went a little closer than it preferred.

* * *

That night was the last one we were going to spend at the daycare center. With the generators up and running, the blackout- now being reported as sabotage, possibly by that young trainer Warren fought- finally over, and the reports Tony wanted to pick up all accounted for, we were going to set off the next morning for a three-day road trip towards Goldenrod. Excitement charged the air, and I could see the glee in Alex and Warren's eyes as they contemplated finally reaching the third pokemon gym. I suppose I was a bit excited by the prospect- it had been a while since I had called Dad, but I had not forgotten the debts that were slowly mounting on his shoulders, and frankly, I guess I did want to see how Goldenrod's skyscrapers looked like firsthand. Violet was practically an ancient run-down ruin compared to what I had heard about Goldenrod.

Granny and Gramps would easily be the last human company we would be seeing for a while. Tony had opted for a straight route, bypassing the nearby villages and towns, cutting straight through the wilderness. This meant that the last night we spent at the daycare center was one filled with much chatter and fussing by the two caretakers. I had a feeling that they didn't get that many visitors, despite the huge load of pokemon eggs they had in the basement, and that they were partially worried about letting four ten-year olds wander out into the wilderness with only pokemon to keep them safe.

Or maybe they were just worried about the pokemon egg.

"Remember to keep it warm," Gramps cautioned Tony later that night as he handed the mysterious strange-looking egg over. I thought I could see light ripple on the surface of the shell as the egg changed hands, but when I blinked, it was gone.

"Hey, Tony, isn't that the egg Brightly was saying was Manaphy's?" Alex asked, peering over the older boy's shoulder.

"That's right," Tony smiled mirthlessly as he cradled the precious bundle in his arms. "Remember the reports? They were a guise so that we could enter this facility without soliciting too much attention. _This_ was what Professor Elm apparently wanted us to collect."

Warren's jaw dropped slightly. "You're kidding. The professor entrusts you with legendary pokemon eggs?"

The older boy winced slightly, but it was Gramps that responded with a hearty chuckle. "Tony's father is a close friend to Professor Elm. After all, he was the genius that invented the Technical Machines."

"No way, are you serious?" Both Alex and Warren looked shocked a bit, though I failed to see what was so impressive over the invention of some machine or other that I've never even heard of.

Nevertheless, Tony, whose cheeks were now a faint shade of pink, took the prime oppurtunity to divert the subject. "It's not like he expects us to hatch it," he said, clearing his throat. "We're just going to deliver this egg over to Professor Oak in Goldenrod. That's it."

Warren grinned. "We're meeting the prestigious Pokemon Professor himself? Awesome!" And then in a motion I'm sure neither boys had rehearsed, he turned to Alex and they shared a high-five.

Gramps chuckled quietly. "Ah, trainers. How I long for the long-lost days of my youth..."

"Is it really all that interesting?" Tony grumbled. "All those days camping out, the constant panicking over little shiny badges... Frankly, I fail to see how the Pokemon League lasted as long as it did."

"But won't you miss it?" I asked. "I know it seems odd for me to say this, but... you actually seem to like travelling around like this." The older boy glanced at me slightly, a faint warmth in his eyes as he shrugged in defeat.

"Perhaps, but I still have a reputation to maintain," he said. "Like you, I'm not particularly fervent in pokemon training. I'd say we're in the same boat with two ridiculous pokemon fanatics."

I chuckled slightly at the sight of Alex and Warren going totally nuts at the very mention of meeting the Pokemon Professor himself. They were practically bouncing with glee, as fanboys were wont to do, and were deep in a discussion I couldn't quite follow (something about pokedexes and radio shows, as far as I could tell). I suppose it was normal- even I, who hated pokemon training, had the highest respect for the old man. After all, how could you hate a guy who dedicated his entire life solely to achieving his goal of understanding pokemon? Thinking back upon it, I realized that, with my own experiences with pokemon, I could only describe the Professor as incredible- to be able to learn so much about pokemon must have taken a whole lot of guts, passion and determination.

"You should be careful though, Tony," Gramps said softly, so not to disturb Alex and Warren's cheer. "That boy who attacked the daycare center might still be after this egg. Until you meet Professor Oak, you cannot let it out of your sight."

The older boy took a moment or two to think about the weight of his burden. Then with a sharp nod, he smirked. "Elm trusted me this far, didn't he? Coil and I will be ready in case that boy returns. Still, I suppose it's more incentive that we reach Goldenrod all the quicker."

"I dunno," I chuckled, watching as the other two boys started dancing arm-in-arm in the middle of the living room. "Knowing Alex and Warren, we'd probably be chasing after them the entire way."

Tony looked like he was about to respond, but paused suddenly, his eyes staring, searching out of a nearby window, as if he had seen or heard something amiss.

"Tony?" I asked, peering curiously at the older boy.

"Shh," he said softly. He glanced back at Warren and Alex, who were totally oblivious to anything apart from their conversation, then continued staring out of the window for a minute or so longer before he finally sighed.

"Something wrong?" Gramps asked, concerned.

Tony frowned. "I don't know. Do you hear anything?"

Both the old man and I frowned, straining our ears. At last, I spoke up, "I don't think so. Did you?"

The old man shook his head, and a grim smile played on Tony's lips. "Nothing at all. Everything outside is completely silent."

A shiver travelled down my spine as I realized that Tony was right. There was no wind, no Hoot-hoot calls, nothing to suggest that there was anything living outside the confines of the house. The world outside was deadly still, like the calm before a storm.

"I'll make sure Rose is on alert tonight," Gramps said quietly, turning back towards the light of the living room. "If anything's out there, they won't dare come in here, not with her about. Still, if you intend to travel through the wilderness, Tony, I can only suggest you do so as quick as possible. Something's coming, and I don't like the sound of it."

_Odd choice of words_, I thought, but catching sight of the worried look in Tony's eyes, coupled with the complete stillness outside that mirrored the Ilex Forest, I couldn't help but feel that they made perfect sense. As Tony left to pack his bags for the journey tomorrow, I found myself watching the shadows warily, but if Faust was there, he never once showed himself.

After that, I pushed my doubts aside and let Girafarig out, allowing the psychic pokemon to sleep outside of its pokeball in my room that night. It was a small comfort, but the thought that it was there made the rising dread just a little easier to bear.

* * *

We left the daycare at the crack of dawn, preferring not to waste any more time than neccessary. If Alex and Warren caught wind of our sense of urgency, they didn't seem to show it. Alex spent his time enthusing about the third gym, while Warren kept talking on and on about the Bug-Catching Contests. Which was all well and good- anything to interrupt the stillness in the air was more than welcome, and their cheer was enough to keep our spirits lifted even into the night.

We camped some ways from the path, in a forest some distance from the plains proper. And though we tried to act as though everything was completely normal, the exhaustion of the day's trek was enough to render us mostly quiet, leaving the all-pervading silence to seep into camp.

Warren found me then, snuggled up near Girafarig (who I let out again, for fear of the _something _that might be there). The eager look in his eyes was still there, but there was that nervous tinge in his smile that made me know that he knew that something was awfully wrong.

"It's quiet, isn't it?" he asked, leaning against a nearby tree.

"Reminds me of Ilex," I said, stroking Girafarig's soft mane. The psychic pokemon looked perfectly calm, but I could see that its muscles were all tensed and its eyes and ears were alert for any sign of a disturbance.

Warren would have usually cracked a joke, or said something stupid, but instead, he frowned.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Girafarig must have caught wind of his thoughts, for it wound its neck up to peer at him warily.

"The pokemon. Something's wrong with them."

Girafarig snorted in agreement. But we both knew that further discussion of this topic would lead us nowhere, so instead, Warren flashed a grin and settled down near us.

"I can't believe we're going to meet the Pokemon Professor himself," he said softly. It was a drastic change of topic, but I knew Warren was just trying to lighten the heavy mood that had settled down on us.

"Can't wait to meet him?" I teased as light-heartedly as I could.

Warren snorted. "Of course! He's practically the guy that wrote everything we know about pokemon! ... Okay, so maybe that's an exaggeration, but still-" He glanced at me, as if seeing if I was still listening to him.

I smiled slightly. "I guess I can sorta understand? He must be your hero."

"Sorta. Kinda. He was a Pokemon Champion too, back in the day..." Warren's gaze had now travelled back to the campfire, where Tony sat, the egg wrapped in his arms. The older boy's face was one of intense concentration, and I couldn't help but catch sight of the envious look in Warren's eyes. "I wonder what he wants with that."

I frowned. "Are you sure that it's...?"

Warren nodded. "I grew up in Blackthorn. The whole village is practically based on legends. You know how normal kids learn Maths and stuff during school? We learn about mythology. Breathe and live it. Hard not to, when Blackthorn's where the Dragon Den is. Of course, people just think all we do is train dragon pokemon, but there's a whole lot of other ancient rituals and stuff like that which every kid knows once they're old enough to walk."

"What's a Manaphy, then?"

Warren chuckled. "Figures you wouldn't know." He raised his hands when I pulled out a pokeball. "Hey, no pokeball throwing! It hurts, you know!"

I grumbled and returned the pokeball to my belt. "So what's a Manaphy?"

"It's a legendary pokemon that is supposedly able to switch the souls of humans and pokemon," Warren replied. Catching my look of confusion, he grinned. "I don't quite get it myself. I mean, why would anyone want to switch souls on purpose? It doesn't make any sense! But since nobody has historically met a Manaphy before, that's as much as the legends tell us." He sighed, cradling his head with his arms. "It'd be awesome to meet a legendary pokemon, don't you think, Dew?"

"It is."

"Oh yeah, you met Suicune, didn't you?" Warren tilted his head to look at me. "What was it like?"

"It was..." I struggled to find a word for it. That moment, when Suicune had appeared in that glade, was beyond anything words could express. "Regal. Majestic. Beautiful. More than all of that. I don't know."

Warren laughed as I buried my head in my hands. "Don't strain yourself too much," he said, patting my back. "I'm sure we'll see Suicune again."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked, peering from behind my fingers.

"It's my quest to find the legendaries and stop all this weird stuff from going on, remember?" Warren grinned. "We'll see Suicune again. I'm sure of it."

I was about to say that I wasn't actually looking forward to it, when suddenly Alex burst through the brush, a wild, frenzied look in his eyes. The last I had heard of, he had gone out to train his pokemon a bit (and probably look around for Faust), but here he was, panting heavily in the center of camp, a wild, bloody line torn through the back of his shirt and the skin underneath.

"Alex, you're hurt," Tony began, only to be cut off when Alex shook his head empathetically.

"Guys, we've got to leave now!" he exclaimed, shaking off Tony's worried hand and making for his bagpack. "They're coming! The wild pokemon- they're on a rampage!"

"The wild pokemon are...?" I saw the darkening look in Warren's eyes, but before I could ask any further, a dull buzzing sound reached my ears.

"Gii ra," Girafarig growled, pulling itself to its feet and sliding into a battle stance. Its gaze went upwards, where, to my amazement, I found myself staring at a flock of really angry Beedrills. The psychic pokemon interposed itself between us and the furious horde, growling angrily at them. It was in that instant that I knew the flock was waiting for us to make a move, any move, before they attacked.

"What could have gotten them so riled up?" I whispered in fear. This didn't feel like Esper's handy work- it was much, much worse. Even as we spoke, wild pokemon started emerging from the brush- Drowzee and Hoot-hoot that were looking really angry at us for a reason we couldn't fathom. This wasn't something a human mind organized and executed- this was pure, unadulturated, instinctual rage.

We were in trouble. Really, really deep trouble.

"Well," Warren remarked dryly as he brought out a pokeball, "at least now we know where they all went."


	27. Night's Shadow

**Chapter 26**

Night's Shadow

The Beedrill were probably the things that were most likely to kill us at that point. That wasn't to say I was underestimating the angry horde of Drowzee and Hoot-hoot, which were now joined by equally angry Rattata and Hopip, but the Beedrill were probably the fastest thing there, and armed with deadly stingers to boot. We were caught in a stand-off for now, but any sudden movement could provoke the angry pokemon to attack.

"How far is it to the nearest town?" Warren asked, never once taking his eyes off the horde. I could see that he had slowly managed to get a pokeball in either hand, ready to be released in case things went south. I got the feeling that he wouldn't be quick enough if they actually did.

"Far longer than we can run for," Tony replied. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around the pokemon egg, angling it away from the horde. He was the weakest of all of us, I realized, with only one pokemon for protection. If anything, the pokemon would aim their attacks towards him, and he knew it too.

"So what's our best bet? Stand and fight?" I could see that Alex was still smarting from his earlier injury, and even he seemed intimidated by the prospect of fighting the pokemon gathered before us.

"Too many," Tony said. "We have to escape, somehow. Break through and run. If we can find somewhere safe to shelter, we'll be fine."

"Like what, a cave or something?" Alex seemed startled. "But we're in the middle of the plains, Tony! We won't find anywhere safe-"

"There are caves near the beach to the west," Tony said tersely. "I used to play there when I was younger. If we escape, we should be fine there. Plains pokemon wouldn't go towards the beach without good reason, especially with a forest in between. But all this talk is pointless unless we can stop these guys from following."

I eyed the Beedrill hovering over us. They were waiting, watching intently, and I could have sworn that they were looking at us like the evil Mightyena that ate little boys from the children's stories. They knew they had us cornered, so why hadn't they attacked? I was pretty sure Esper wasn't involved simply because she hadn't shown herself yet, but it was almost as if they were waiting for orders from someone. Or something. Girafarig, sensing my trepidation, tensed as if ready to run at a single command. I wasn't sure how exactly we would get out of this one. Was it the end of the line?

"I'll distract them," Tony's voice cut through the air like a razor. "You guys- make for the beach on the signal. If we get seperated, that's where we'll rendezvous."

"What?" Alex yelled. "But _we're _the ones supposed to keep you safe!"

"Besides, you're the most vulnerable out of all of us!" Warren said sharply. "You're the one with the pokemon egg, after all!"

"Unless the two of you have another idea as to how to distract them, I don't see how your argument stands," Tony said sharply. "Coil can blind them momentarily with a Flash attack, giving us some time to escape-"

"Then we all escape together." Warren's eyes were hard as he surveyed the scene. "If we get seperated right now, we're dead. If we work together, we might actually get out of this mess." I knew what Warren was saying was almost the impossible- when wild pokemon went on a rampage like this, people caught alone in the wilderness were given a death sentence. Sometimes, an odd trainer or two might escape, but never without serious injuries. And this was exactly the situation that we found ourselves in.

"Then what do you propose?" Tony's nerves were fraying underneath his confident veneer- not that I could blame him.

"Gii, Girafarig!" Girafarig spoke up, turning to face Warren. "Gii ra."

I had no clue what the psychic pokemon said, but it was obvious that Warren did. He grinned. "Let's do as Girafarig suggests. Tony, pull out a Flash attack. Dew, your Mareep can help too. In that instant, Girafarig will pull out a massive Reflect and then we run for it. It may take us much longer to get our pokemon out of their balls, but with Girafarig out right now, it could probably deflect their attacks even before those Beedrill strike."

It sounded simple, but I doubted there was any other way out of this mess. I glanced back at Tony and Alex, and they seemed at a loss for words as well. While I was annoyed at the fact that Warren was giving instructions to my pokemon again without consulting with me, I knew that if he hadn't mentioned it, it would never have occured to me.

Girafarig whickered, drawing my attention. "The Beedrill look like they're getting ready to attack," Warren announced. "On the count of three, we move. Got it?"

I nodded. Warren gave me a small, reassuring smile. "One!"

Mareep's pokeball found its way into my trembling hands easily enough, and Girafarig slowly stepped back, closer to me. I could see a hint of fear in its eyes, but the determination in its stance reminded me of my own part in this. If I wanted out of this, I couldn't sit around and expect someone else to save me this time. I would have to act as a real trainer would.

"Two!"

The Beedrills were tensing, waiting. Nearby, I saw the Hoot-hoot and Drowzee slowly approach us. They knew we were going to make a break for it, and they weren't going to let that happen.

"Three!"

"Mareep, go!"

"Coil!"

A blinding flash of light erupted from the clearing, and if I hadn't shielded my eyes from the attack, I would have been struck momentarily blind. A cacophany of confused cries rose up in fright, but the blinding white light made it hard to see what was going on. I heard Girafarig shriek, and psychic power enveloped us. I could hear the thuds of the attacks on the shield that, presumably, protected us, and the next thing I knew, someone had grabbed hold of my arm and was dragging me away.

"Move it, Dew!" Warren's voice was in my ear even as my eyes finally re-adjusted to the sudden pitch darkness of the night. A purple sparkling wall had erected itself around us, with only one small opening to escape. Around us, wild pokemon were tearing angrily at the barriers, unable to pierce through. Alex and Tony were already ahead, crashing through the grass in a panicked sprint. I could have sworn that a moving shadow struck down anything that tried to harm them before vanishing into the night air. Mareep, usually angry at me for some reason or other, had sensed the seriousness of the situation and merely bounded at my heels in a desperate attempt to escape. And Girafarig-

Wait. Where was Girafarig?

I glanced behind us, and what I saw made my breath hitch.

"Dew, what are- Oh no." In his haste, Warren had failed to notice that not all of us had made it out alright.

"Girafarig!" I tore myself away from Warren's grip instinctively. The psychic pokemon had been right behind us, but its concentration at maintaining the shield had been too much and had slowed it down, drastically. And when the wall finally collapsed, it was too close to the rampaging horde of pokemon to escape. And there it was, my Girafarig, challenging an enemy even it had to know it couldn't beat.

It neighed, furiously at the oncoming attacks, a weaker, much smaller shield sparkling in the night air. It wouldn't last long.

Unbidden, a rush of anger poured through my weary body, pushing aside my fear and giving me the strength to act. I heard Mareep and Warren try to stop me, but I didn't care. I didn't care if Girafarig thought that nothing mattered so long as it managed to protect me, I would be damned before I let anything happen to it on my watch.

"Onix!" The rock pokemon appeared, roaring angrily, momentarily distracting the wild pokemon from their attack. One thing I noticed was that, one-on-one, the rock snake was easily larger and much more overpowering than the wild pokemon. If anything had a chance in disabling the attack long enough for us to flee, Onix would have to be it.

"Rock Throw!" It roared in acknowledgement and slithered up in an amazing burst of speed. Dust and rocks were thrown into the air, scattering the wild pokemon long enough for me to catch up to Girafarig.

The psychic pokemon whickered in confusion at my sudden appearance, but I shook my head. "Now really isn't the time for heart-to-heart talks, Gi. We gotta get out of here."

Girafarig, perhaps startled by my sudden commands, merely complied as I pulled myself onto its back. "Onix, cover us! Mud Sport!"

Onix roared in compliance, and the next thing I knew, mud was flung into the air, distracting our pursuers, even as the Drowzee and Hoot-hoot around us started firing attacks. Thankfully, most of that struck harmlessly against a hastily-constructed Reflect, allowing us to escape. The rush of wind as Girafarig galloped through the grass made it hard to see what was going on, but we had to put as much distance between us and them as possible. The sound of something thundering through the underbrush and Onix's constant rumblings were the only indication that it could keep up with the psychic pokemon, and I briefly cursed myself for forgetting to return the rock pokemon to its' pokeball. What if it had been left behind, like Girafarig had been?

Luckily, no such thing had happened, and when the air finally stopped pushing dirt into my eyes, I saw Onix slithering by our side and crashing through the trees and underbrush like they were nothing. However, there was no sight of the boys or Mareep at all. Trees and more trees sprung up all around us- it seemed the forest was a lot denser than I thought it was back at camp. And then I realized I had no idea where we were going, having lost our heading in our mad dash for safety. A queasy feeling sank to the depths of my stomach.

We had made it out of the pokemon attack, but now we were utterly lost.

* * *

"Gira," Girafarig neighed in frustration after we had been walking for what seemed like hours.

"No sign of anyone, huh?" I pat the psychic pokemon's neck reassuringly, but the way Girafarig looked at me made certain of the fact that it knew that I was practically crying like a child inside my mind, and didn't appreciate being babied by the person that _it _was supposed to baby.

"Groo?" Onix rumbled in confusion, sensing our exchange. While it would have made for an easier journey without the rock pokemon crashing through the trees, having it around- large and intimidating and scaring everything else away- seemed to do more to soothe my nerves than I had thought. After all, the forest was still deathly quiet- and if the pokemon were still out there, they would kill us without a thought. There was no doubt about that in my mind.

Still, I was tired of walking around in circles. I had brought a compass, so we had followed it in the general direction of 'west', where Tony had said the beach would be. Unfortunately, all we saw were trees, trees, and more trees. It seemed we would have to cut through the forest entirely before we would find any safety, and stopping would only make us sitting ducks in case the horde did stumble across us.

It would have made it more bearable if we actually knew whether we were going the right way or not, though. Quite soon after the realization that we were lost, I had sent Zubat out to scout for the others, and while the little bat had returned safely most of the time, on the sixth attempt it ended up being chased by a group of furious Beedrill. It took Onix and Girafarig much effort to disable most of the bug pokemon, and a lot of time for us to calm the little flying pokemon down. After a while, I returned the little bat- exhausted and scared- to its pokeball, deciding that we should continue on with just the three of us. Even if we had no idea how long it would take for us to find someone or reach the beach.

"What was all of that about, anyway?" I asked softly to nobody. While I knew wild pokemon could become senselessly violent in recent years, seeing it first-hand struck a discordant chord in my mind. Warren was right- the wild pokemon weren't going mad without a reason. There had been a purpose in that attack tonight. They were organized, almost like a war party. And like any war, there had to be a leader.

"It wasn't Esper, was it?" I wondered.

"Gi. Ra." Girafarig shook its head wearily. I smiled slightly. Of course not- if Girafarig had even sensed her presence, it would have alerted us to that little fact already. But what if Esper could cloak her presence, like Faust had done to evade Girafarig back in Ilex?

Girafarig snorted. _Not likely, _it seemed to say. In fact, it seemed a bit peeved that I had such little faith in its abilities.

Of course, the fact that Girafarig was that confident it wasn't Esper could only mean one thing. Was Warren right? Was there really a legendary pokemon in charge of all this chaos?

"Come to think of it, those Beedrill were from Ilex, weren't they?" I knew I wasn't really an expert on anything pokemon, but we hadn't seen any Beedrill ever since we left Azalea, not even when we crossed through the Ilex. And that eerie silence that had enveloped both Ilex Forest then and where we were now were just too similar to have been coincidence.

"Gira gi." At least Girafarig seemed to agree with me on that point.

"Great." I tried to smile, really I did, but that fooled neither of my pokemon. "So that means that there'll probably be Weedles and Spinaraks after us too?"

Girafarig snorted. _Stop complaining, _it seemed to say. _We're stuck in this mess now, so there's no helping it._

Onix growled sadly. The rock pokemon seemed unhappy that it was prowling through a dense forest in the middle of the night, and the more we walked, the further it seemed to lag behind us. I wondered whether it was because it was bored with the constant journey, or whether it had taken damage from the earlier fight. However, it soon became clear to me that something else entirely was bothering it.

"Is your scar bothering you?" I could see the thin lines scratched into the stone skin, the way that Onix would try to shift its position so that nothing touched the scar. Miserably, the rock snake nodded its head.

Girafarig whickered slightly and nudged my belt. It wanted me to return Onix to its pokeball, and I found myself agreeing. It would be bad if we were caught by the wild pokemon and Onix turned out to be a liability rather than an aid to us. However, at the very mention of being returned, Onix began roaring, adamantly shaking its head.

"Gira fa!" Girafarig snapped at the rock pokemon, but even that failed to quiet Onix down. The psychic pokemon glanced worriedly at me, and I knew what it was thinking. The more noise that Onix made, the easier it would be for the wild pokemon to find us, if they were in the immediate vicinity.

But I could also sort of understand why Onix wouldn't want to return to its pokeball. Mauve had mentioned that they were fiercely loyal, and the thought that it was abandoning me in the midst of danger was probably too much for the rock pokemon. I could relate- after all, that was the exact same feeling I had when I saw Girafarig in trouble, and even though we were lost, I knew now that, were I given a do-over, I would still have done the same.

"Alright, alright, you can stay out," I finally said with a soft sigh. "But just stay quiet, alright?"

"Gii! Gira!"

"Oh, hush you," I muttered. Girafarig blinked in surprise at my sudden retort. I had never, ever spoken back to the psychic pokemon before but, sensing my oppurtunity, I drew myself up as much as I could and continued, "You know the reason why Onix doesn't want to go back in is the very same reason as yours. So you're reeally in no position to argue, right?"

Girafarig held my gaze for a tense moment or two before it snorted, averting its gaze. _Do what you want_.

I glanced back at Onix. "So? Promise you'll stay quiet?"

Onix nodded, slightly cheered up by the prospect, its roars lowered down to a now constant rumble that I was getting used to. Girafarig sighed in distaste and trotted on ahead. It was a practical pokemon, and didn't approve of leaving weak points glaringly open for the enemy to find. Nevertheless, it slowed its speed down so that Onix could catch up.

We walked in silence for a while, following the general direction of 'West', when suddenly Girafarig came to a stop.

"Girafarig?" I asked cautiously, fearful of disturbing the psychic pokemon.

Girafarig silenced me with a single glance. It eyed our surroundings warily for a while before it finally sighed and relaxed. "Gii gi," it called out into the wilderness.

"Sensed me, did you?" Out of nowhere, a shadow seemed to emerge in the air in front of us, disembodied hands folded on invisible arms. "Thanks for ruining my fun, psychic."

Girafarig merely glared at the ghost type, snorting and stomping its feet onto the ground. With a roll of his eyes, Faust sighed and turned to look at me.

"Why, hello there, dear girl. I don't suppose you fancy a late night stroll?" The Haunter seemed unapologetic at his sudden apperance, completely unaware to the rapid beating of my heart and the stunned looks on both the faces of Onix and I.

Finally, as the surprise wore away and the fear of being attacked disappeared, I felt my limbs sag in relief. "Faust? Does that mean we're near the beach?"

"Hardly." The ghost type snorted. "Though if you walk that way for an hour or two, you'll come across a horde of very angry pokemon. You're about as far away from the beach as possible."

I blinked in surprise. "B-but, the compass-" I pulled it out and showed it to Faust. "The needle says we're heading west!"

The Haunter eyed the compass for a while. Then it sighed and shook its head. "You do realize that the needle isn't moving at all, right?"

"Wait, what? No way!" I glanced at the compass in my hand, and to my shock, I realized that, yes, the needle wasn't moving like a normal compass needle would, if you changed directions. Which meant-

"That compass is defective," Faust snorted. "I suppose it must have broke some time ago. Frankly, I'm surprised you never noticed it. You must be as dense as Alex said you were."

I felt the heat rising in my cheeks. I _had _thought I was leading my pokemon to safety, but instead, I was only leading us further into danger. Just what kind of pathetic excuse of a trainer was I?

"Gira. Gi." Unsurprisingly, Girafarig was the one who decided to take control of the situation. Though, judging by the tone of its voice and the momentary surprise on Faust's face, it had probably said something in my defence. Considering that I had just told it off just a few minutes ago, I felt kind of touched at the thought.

"Fine, fine," the ghost type said with an exaggerated sigh. "There's no point in us standing around, especially since I know the exact way to this wondrous beach of yours. Come along now, children."

I could see Girafarig bristling at the comment, and I laid a hand on the psychic's mane. Now was not the time to get angry with our 'rescuer', not with the horde still out there. "Did Alex send you?"

"Hmph!" Faust seemed angered at the thought. "As if I would deign to listen to the orders of a mere child. He may have suggested it, but rest assured, I would have done so even without it. After all, I didn't like the thought of you children getting into trouble, not after my bravado back in that daycare center, so I came searching for you after I ensured the rest of your motley crew managed to reach relative safety."

"Thanks, I guess." I bit my lip. "So Mareep and Warren are...?"

"Fine and dandy," Faust replied. "Although that sheep of yours might well kill everyone before we even get back. Yet another reason why I had to ensure I found you quickly."

"Oh." I was kind of touched that Mareep was making a fuss over our disapperance. Then again, knowing Mareep, it might have just decided to go on a rampage once I wasn't around.

"Gira," Girafarig said suddenly, halting us all in our step (or in Faust's case, float). Almost immediately, silence fell over us like a thick shroud, and I could feel something approaching. A presence that was strong and terrifying, its aura swirling around us within seconds. Even though it had been less than second when I realized something was wrong, I could hear the gentle trod of paws through the grass, the sparkle of power that raced through the air. Dark clouds suddenly swirled in the night sky, lightning flashes darting around the air as the still air suddenly picked up in a roaring gale.

Onix growled in fear, lowering its head instinctively to the ground. Likewise, Girafarig backed away slightly from the path, though its gaze never wavered from the spot. The presence was overwhelming, and even Faust dared not stand in its sight, vanishing within seconds of its apperance.

And then I saw it- golden, shining eyes in the darkness. An electrifying gaze from a creature that seemed to meld into the clouds, standing in a small clearing before us. Four legs, with sharpened claws on each end, and two glistening fangs that shimmered in the lightning flashes.

I found myself taking a step back at the sight of it- its eyes were fearsome, vengeful. I knew, from that gaze, that whatever it was, it was angry at _me_.

A tug on my shirt sleeve was all that alerted me to Faust's presence. It seemed that the ghost type was too terrified to even show itself in the presence of this pokemon, but it was the only one that could answer my query now.

"W-what is that?" I gasped out.

"That," Faust's voice rasped in my ear, "is Raikou, legendary beast of thunder. I do not think he is pleased with our presence here."

"Is he the one that's leading the wild pokemon? Is that why he's here? Is he going to kill us?"

Faust hesitated. "I have no doubt that is exactly why he's here. And I don't think that we have much chance of escape."

Raikou roared, and lightning flashed in the darkened sky. In its light, I could see the striped patterns on its body, the clouds that seemed to stream from it, the angry gaze in the legendary pokemon's stare.

"Gira gi!" It was foolish to think that we could have stood any chance in battle against Raikou, but something posessed Girafarig to overcome its fear and step forward. "Gi gira gi! Girafarig!"

Raikou roared, and I thought for a moment that it was going to attack. Lightning arced through the air, and I don't know what posessed me in that moment, but I ran forward and wrapped my arms tight around Girafarig, trying to push it away from that oncoming lightning bolt.

It never hit. I squeezed open my eyes and saw that Girafarig had erected a purple shield to stop the attack, but my relief was short-lived. After all, Raikou was still there, still watching.

"Gi gira!" Girafarig neighed, its voice reverberating through the air despite the tumultuous wind.

Raikou snorted. And then, it roared.

"He's asking- he's asking why we're protecting you, a trainer," Faust translated from behind me. "I don't think he's very pleased with us."

I hesitated. The question was directed towards the pokemon, and I wasn't too sure whether it was within my place to respond. Luckily, neither of my pokemon felt any such restrictions- Girafarig snorted and stomped its foot angrily into the ground, and Onix roared angrily in response. Even Faust smirked a bit at the shocked reaction from the legendary pokemon.

Whatever they said was probably something bad, because all of a sudden, Raikou, legendary cat of thunder, leapt at us.

Roaring lightning seemed to erupt from the clouds that sprung from its back, sparking against the surface of Girafarig's shield before a furious claw crushed it into pieces. Faust quickly shoved the two of us to the ground, Raikou's jaws snapping shut in the air above us.

The sound of Onix roaring echoed through the sound of thunder. In a flash of lightning, I saw the silhouette of my rock pokemon trying to strike the legendary with its tail- only to be blocked by a single paw. I could see Onix's shock, and then Raikou leapt gracefully into the air, headbutting the rock snake a fair distance away, where it crashed into a couple of trees and lay, unmoving, on the ground.

"Gi," Girafarig groaned, shaking its head. It looked tired, and I couldn't blame it. But I knew it was in no condition to fight, not now.

Raikou knew that too, and it turned to face us, roaring a challenge. And Girafarig, headstrong as it was, shoved me away and tried to get back on its feet. I barely had time to protest when the thunder resounded in my ears and a dark shadow flew through the air, towards us, white fangs shining in the lightning's light.

"Oh no, you don't!" A quick purple blur interposed itself between Girafarig and Raikou, and a small ball of shadow flew towards the cat, catching it off-guard and flinging it back a few paces.

Normally, I would have expected that anything that had taken an attack such as Faust's at point-blank range would be knocked out cold for at least a few seconds, but not Raikou. Gracefully turning in mid-air, the cat landed on all fours a short distance away, its golden eyes flashing with inner rage.

"Get the girl out of here," Faust whispered softly at Girafarig.

"What?" I yelped. "No! I'm not going to leave you to face that thing alone! Even if you are extremely powerful and stuff, Raikou's a legendary pokemon! It's different from that Alakazam you fought, Faust!"

"Gira gi!" Girafarig agreed furiously, stomping a hoof into the mud.

"I don't think you understand, Budew," Faust smirked. "Raikou isn't after us- it's after _you. _And if we fail to stop it, it will kill you."

"Just what is it with everything and everyone trying to kill me?" I yelled. "Look, I didn't run from Onix, I didn't run from Esper, I didn't run from Alakazam... I don't care whether that thing is going to kill me or not, I'm not going to tell Alex that I let his Haunter die protecting me! I'm not going to let you fight him by yourself! I'm a pokemon trainer, and I will not run as my pokemon die for my sake! Hasn't anyone gotten that into their heads yet?"

My tirade must have shocked everyone, because everyone froze for a few moments as the lightning continued to flash around us. Then, Faust chuckled, some measure of glee restored to his voice. "Fine. Then I'll leave this battle to you!"

"Huh? What?"

Girafarig neighed, its spirits somehow lifted. "Gira gi!" it neighed into the thunderclouds, before fixing me with an approving gaze.

A familiar rumbling drew my attention to Onix, scratched and chipped but still capable of fighting. It slithered up to us, flashed me a toothy grin, then roared in Raikou's face.

The electric legendary looked stunned for a moment before incredulous rage filled its face. It tipped its head up to the sky and let out a furious roar, lightning crashing all around us. The blinding light made it hard to see what was going on, and when my vision cleared, Raikou was gone.

I blinked blankly, but even then, the gears in my brain started to turn. _No. Raikou is still here. _I knew that fact, could sense it from the electricity in the air. And I knew, from everything I had seen the legendary pokemon do when it was fighting with the pokemon, exactly what to do to stop it.

"Onix! Rock Throw!" I yelled, pointing up into the sky, where the growing silhouette of Raikou charged at us from above.

Onix nodded and swung its tail up into the air, narrowly missing our heads. A subtle _thwack _sound told me that the attack had been successful, and Raikou slammed with a horrendous _crack _into a nearby tree, causing the entire tree to collapse backwards into the underbrush, obscuring the electric pokemon. I let out a whoop of joy- even if it had tried to dodge the attack, at that speed and from that height, it would have been nearly impossible for the thunder pokemon to avoid getting hit, especially with Girafarig tracking its movements constantly. But even so, I knew such a blow would not keep Raikou down for long.

There was a moment or two where we watched with bated breath for the legendary pokemon. "Did that get it?" I asked softly, uncertainly.

"Giii!" Girafarig suddenly screeched, and then a blinding flash of light filled our eyes again.

Raikou roared as it descended, claws leading- only to thud harmlessly against the psychic walls that sprung up to protect us. The legendary looked mildly surprised, a small pause in its otherwise endless string of attacks. It was the perfect oppurtunity.

"Now, Faust, Onix!"

A blur of purple charged at the electric pokemon, but even as Raikou tried to beat Faust aside, Onix's rock tail slammed into the legendary once more.

It flew into the air for a few seconds before it tried to twist, to recover. But we were expecting that. With a loud cry, Girafarig's horns glowed purple and fired off a Confusion attack into Raikou, knocking the thunder legendary off-balance once more. It landed in a cloud of dust, and the thunderclouds up above suddenly fell ominously silent.

I breathed heavily, adrenaline pumping through my veins, leaning against Onix's rock body for support as we watched the dust cloud cleared. And then a small cry of dismay escaped me.

I had thought, after predicting Raikou's moves, after taking its power into consideration, that we could have at least hurt the legendary pokemon somewhat. But there it stood, as ominous and fear-inspring as ever, proudly elegant against a stormy sky.

It let out a feral roar which caused me to shrink away, the sound echoing in my ears. But when it didn't move, I realized that it was saying something. Asking something. Asking the pokemon.

Faust and Onix kept silent, but judging from the nervous glances they exchanged, it had been something that they weren't expecting. Something they didn't have the answer for.

And then Girafarig spoke. "Gi ra gira," it said calmly over the sound of the echoing thunderstrikes. "Gi ra gigigi."

I wondered what it had said. Faust and Onix looked even more shocked at its audacity in addressing the thunder pokemon, and I caught sight of a flicker of anger in Raikou's eyes. But there was something else- a flicker of respect. Raikou roared, and I caught myself flinching away in case a claw came rushing out of nowhere, but no attack came. Instead, with a final glance back at us, Raikou snorted- and then it leapt into the air and in a flash of lightning, it was gone; vanished, the only sign of his presence being the scorched earth and destroyed trees all around us.

We stood still for a moment, wary should Raikou return. But then, lightly at first, the rain began to fall, easing the tension that had filled the air. The relief was overwhelming- my legs lost all strength, and I plopped onto the grassy floor, thankful it was all over. I wasn't sure whether any of the pokemon felt the same- Faust was nervously floating in mid-air, quite unlike the arrogant ghost type, and Onix seemed more tired than anything. But Girafarig stood quietly by my side, its gaze staring off into a distance, as if pondering over something that the legendary pokemon had said.

"I don't think he's coming back," I finally announced softly into the rain. The lightning had faded off into a distance, and all that was left was the sound of the gentle pitter-patter of the rain on the leaves and grass.

"Gi," Girafarig agreed shortly. Quietly, it waited for me to climb onto its back and then we began our slow progression towards the beach, Faust leading the way once more.

But even though the danger had passed, even though we were finally on our way back to safety, nobody spoke. It was as if the awe of what we had did finally started to sink in. We had fought Raikou, a legendary pokemon, and we had lived to tell the tale. But there was something else, something nagging in my subconcious, that told me that there was some deeper conflict here that I didn't- couldn't- understand. Something Raikou had said had struck a chord with a pokemon, I could see it in their troubled glances, but just as I knew that, I knew it was not my place to interfere.

Though, as I sat atop a quiet Girafarig, hands knotted in its fur, I could only wonder what it might have said.

* * *

I really enjoyed writing this chapter... which is probably why it hit 6,000 words. Well, read and review and stuff and such.


	28. A Night at the Beach

Got caught up in other things this month, that's why I couldn't update. Anyway, here's Chapter 27. It's pretty much the last one I have of my buffers for now, in which nothing notable happens.

* * *

**Chapter 27**

A Night by the Beach

By the time we reached the beach, the sun was slowly peaking up from above the horizon. It was the first time I had ever been to the sea, having grown up inland, and it was truly one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen in my life. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the way the light seemed to dance in the waves, the scent of the sea breeze, the gentle wind as it blew past our tired bodies... everything was beautiful. However, the mood that had sunk over us was so heavy that not even the sunrise could lighten it. We trudged on in silence, not even pausing to glance at the scene before us, weary and disturbed by our encounter with Raikou.

Even Onix, who I expected to play in the surf, seemed too distraught to notice when it almost slithered over a tiny Krabby, stopping only when the water pokemon started shooting bubbles at it. Girafarig apologized profusely, after which we watched the Krabby shake a fist at us before disappearing back into the sea.

"What did Raikou tell all of you?" I finally asked after a while as we stood there, watching the sunlight shine down upon the waves.

"Nothing, really," Faust muttered as he floated by my side. "He just asked us why were we protecting you."

Girafarig snorted at that. "Gira, gi," it growled. "Gi ra rig!"

"Girafarig?" I frowned- I was never good at translating the psychic pokemon's words to begin with, and now that it was mad, I could hardly even imagine what it was saying.

"He said, 'It's our duty, like it or not'," Faust translated. "'How dare he ask us such a question!'"

Girafarig huffed angrily, and continued walking, eager not to tarry any longer. Hesitantly, I pet the pokemon's mane, and while it looked less tense at the contact, the evil glare in its eyes never lifted. It was strange for the normally calm pokemon to be angry for hours on end, and I had no idea how to react to it except to calm it back down as quickly as I could. If it knew of my intentions, though, it wasn't too keen on following through.

"So why did Raikou... did it explain anything as to why it decided to lead the wild pokemon to attack us?"

Onix and Faust shook their heads, and Girafarig spat into the sand. "He said nothing," Faust murmured. "It's strange. Humans and pokemon do not fight. That's our way. There may have been small exceptions where the pokemon feel as though they've been mistreated or that humans are hurting their way of life, but never something like this. It's almost as if Raikou was gathering up pokemon solely to attack humans."

"Kind of like a war?" I asked.

Faust glanced away, and even Onix looked disturbed by the concept.

Girafarig simply snorted. "Gi gira gii farig!"

"Colourful language you have there, psychic," the ghost type muttered. Catching my eye, he explained, "Your friend there says that it goes against everything we believe in to fight against humans. Centuries ago, when wars between humans and pokemon were common, many lives were lost. Nobody wishes to repeat that, of that I'm certain. Not without good cause."

"Then, why?"

Nobody answered, and sensing that the conversation had reached its end, I contented myself to snuggling against Girafarig's soft fur. I saw the psychic pokemon freeze up slightly at the contact before it relaxed itself, changing its gait slightly to accomodate me. "Gira," it muttered mutedly, though what it said, I didn't know.

"Well, we're almost there," Faust said, pausing in mid-air. "This is as far as I'll lead you."

_Ah, right._ Warren and Tony didn't know that Alex's third pokemon was the overpowered Haunter, and judging by Faust's reaction, it was probably through the ghost pokemon's own discretion. Seeing my stare, he gave me a knowing look before huffing and disappearing into thin air. It was unnerving to see the ghost pokemon vanish just like that, but given the events we had been put through the night before, it seemed like a completely tame show of power.

"Don't worry," Faust's disembodied voice whispered in my ear, "I'm still here. Just keep following the beach line and you'll find the caves, eventually."

Onix rumbled in assent and Girafarig snorted, and we continued on. Faust, who had mostly been my conversational companion throughout the journey, remained silent, and the last few minutes of our journey were left with me feeling depressed again.

At least, until a stray thundershock suddenly flew through the air, catching me by surprise. If it weren't for Onix's quick action at blocking the attack with its tail, I would have been fried to cinders... or shocked very badly, pun not intended.

And then we spotted our attacker- a small, fluffy ball of angry wool standing in the middle of the beach, the caves right behind it.

"Mareep," I sighed in relief. Unfortunately, the electric pokemon shared no such feelings.

"Maaa-reep!" it shrieked, flinging more electric attacks at us before I could even react. Luckily, Onix was there and before long, the little sheep was dangling in mid-air again.

"Ma, ma reep!" it screeched at its captor. Onix, a satisfied expression on its face, merely rumbled something which made the little electric sheep all the madder. I could only watch as Mareep attempted to hit Onix with its tail, the rock pokemon rumbling delightedly all the while.

"Dew!" Suddenly I was caught up in a hug, and when I finally managed to get a glimpse as to who tackled me, I found myself staring into Warren's watery eyes.

"I'm sorry," he began, "I thought you were following us when we left and we couldn't turn back to check because there were these Beedrill and Hoot-hoot that kept following us and Mareep and I had to spend forever trying to lose them and we got lost and didn't know you didn't make it to the caves until after-"

"Warren, you're rambling."

"_That's all you can say?_" Warren exclaimed, shaking me a few times. If it were possible, he'd also be frothing at the mouth. "Dew, we didn't know what happened to you! Where did you go- how did you escape the pokemon-"

"Easy, Brightly, or your face will turn purple." Alex walked up to us, and clapped the now-gasping Warren on the back before giving me a once-over. He nodded slightly, a small smirk on his face. "Good to know you're still alive and kickin' Dewdrop. I was afraid someone as wimpy as you would get torn to shreds by those wild pokemon."

"Gee, thanks. I think." Leave it to Alex to sound both concerned and insulting at the same time. Girafarig snorted, as if it caught my thoughts.

"So you had Onix and Girafarig protect you the whole time, huh?" Warren asked, eyeing the two. He must have noticed their exhaustion, because he smiled and said, "You should let them rest. We're safe here anyways."

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "Looks like you need the rest too yourself, little baby Budew. Just how far did the Beedrill chase you guys anyway?"

"Um, not very far," I admitted. "But I kinda got lost, and we got even more lost, and then... well, let's just say it was lucky we managed to even get here."

"I'll say," Warren sighed. "C'mon. Tony's inside, trying to get some radio signal with the pokegear. Though with Mareep kicking up a fuss the whole night, none of us managed to sleep a wink."

"Groo-oo?" Onix asked, Mareep still dangling from its mouth. The little sheep seemed flustered, but when I approached, it didn't try to attack me again, so I assumed that it was also tired from scaring the boys the whole night.

"Gira gi?" Girafarig added, causing the electric sheep to shoot an evil glare at the psychic pokemon.

"That's enough, guys," I said with a sigh, returning my pokemon back to their pokeballs. Almost immediately, the loss of the presence of my pokemon was felt keenly. After all, I had spent the whole night with both Onix and Girafarig within my field of vision at all times, protecting me. Compared to that, Warren and Alex seemed small and insignificant against Raikou.

It was a strange thought, and an echo of Mauve's words echoed in my mind:_ The only people I could trust weren't people at all._ I was starting to understand what she meant. Pokemon you could rely on were easily better bodyguards than any human could be. Although, I got the feeling that Mauve meant something more by those words...

_Friends? _Maybe I could sort of talk to Girafarig and Onix, but I still preferred Warren or Alex's company over theirs any old day. After all, it was hard to be friends with someone you couldn't even understand. Or maybe that was my own failing, since trainers like Mauve and Warren seemed to have no trouble understanding pokemon. Or maybe they were just insane?

"Dewdrop~" Alex's sing-song voice woke me from my thoughts. He grinned at my surprise. "Hey come on, wimpy. You looked like you're about to fall asleep on your feet there."

I took back preferring Alex's company over Girafarig's after that.

* * *

Tony barely glanced up when I entered the cave. "You're late," he said, before he returned to fiddling with his pokegear. Coil hovered nearby, spinning every once in a while, and the pokemon egg was nestled snugly in his open bagpack.

"Yeah, I got kinda held up," I muttered, taking in my surroundings. It was a small cave, but big enough for the boys to have spread their sleeping bags around a small campfire. It was warmer in here than outside, which was a relief, now that we were right in the middle of autumn. It didn't look comfortable to sleep in, but as tired as I was, I wasn't fit to complain.

"Get some rest," the older boy advised. "We're leaving once it's safe. It seems that the wild pokemon have stopped rampaging and returned to their homes, but I'd rather we stay here a night more, just to be careful."

"How do you know that?"

Tony smirked. "News reports. Coil and I spent the whole night trying to get some sort of signal, and I'm glad to say we suceeded. We'll be fine if we leave now, but you look like you're about to collapse."

I couldn't argue with him there. With a final shrug (and sticking my tongue out in Tony's direction when he wasn't looking), I pulled out my sleeping bag and, after finding some space in between the mess, fell soundly asleep. Or at least, I tried to, but the soft chatter of the boys soon drew me into a state of half-slumber. I couldn't hear the words properly, but there was no mistaking the urgency in their voices. Something was wrong, I knew that, and eventually, I found myself fully awake once more, staring into the blazing campfire as it roared into the cool evening air.

The first thing I noticed was that the boys were gone. At least they left their sleeping bags, which I assumed meant that they were going to come back (eventually). The second thing I noticed was that I was hungry, with my stomach growling pathetically as I shook off the remaining fog of slumber that clouded my thoughts.

I quickly searched my bagpack for some food before realizing that my pokemon would be hungry too. And so, with a groan, I dragged myself to my feet (taking care to avoid the cave ceiling) and pulled out the neccessary food supplies for my pokemon and stumbled my way out of the cave.

I must have slept almost half the day away. The sun had been rising when I emerged from the forest, and now it was setting off into the distance. A mixture of colours, blue, purple and pink, swirled in the air, reflected off the deep blue waves. I saw footsteps leading away from the cave (the boys, I supposed) and off in a distance, I could have sworn I saw a Staryu rise up from the waves and arc through the sky for a moment before disappearing into the surf.

And then my stomach reminded me of why I was actually out here. Thankfully, none of my pokemon seemed to be in any mood to scrap. Girafarig and Onix were weary from the battle, and Zubat still peered furtively at the trees, off in a distance, as if it expected a swarm of Beedrill to attack it again. Even Mareep seemed docile today, although it swatted me with its tail when it decided that I got too close before stealing about half our supply of bread. I spent some time checking up on Girafarig and Onix's health- they had been through so much for my sake, and it felt wrong for me to forget about them now that we weren't in any danger. Luckily, both of them were fine, if a bit exhausted; though Onix's scars seemed to have grown in number after yesterday night's scrap.

I managed to pull out some instant noodles and, settling on a nearby rock, I contented myself to watch my pokemon eat their dinner. And then someone behind me spoke.

"You're awake!"

I screeched and flailed, almost dropping my instant noodles, until Warren caught hold of my arms in between his bouts of laughter. My pokemon looked up in shock, briefly, before they simply turned away and returned to their dinner. By the time I had calmed down enough to punch him, he had already settled down on the rock, watching me with a grin that rivalled a Meowth's.

"You're horrible," I muttered, returning to my noodles.

"And you're grumpy," Warren retorted brightly, resting his head on his knuckles. He glanced at my pokemon, then smiled at me. "Seems like you guys are getting along now."

I snorted, catching Mareep's eye. The little sheep had electricty sparking off its wool as it caught wind of our conversation, but thankfully it was too far away to shock me, and a warning glance from Girafarig was enough for it to settle down. I flashed it a grin and said, "Hardly."

Warren waited till I finished my noodles when he spoke next. "You know, we're really lucky," he said softly.

I glanced at him questioningly. He seemed morose, and while I understood why anyone would be when they were chased by wild pokemon about to kill them, I could sense that there was something else that he wanted to say.

"Luckier than the guy that got killed last night." He grimaced at my shocked look, and sighed. "It's on the radio. Apparently a kid got his skull bashed in by his own Cubone. He was just a short distance from where we camped last night. They found his body earlier today, the Cubone gone, with pokemon tracks all around the area. It's like they managed to turn the pokemon against its own trainer."

"Isn't it too early to jump to such conclusions?" I lowered my head, thinking back on what happened last night. Even though I didn't want to admit it, Warren's reasoning almost seemed plausible. What if Raikou had persuaded the boy's Cubone to kill its own trainer? Was that what it was trying to do with Girafarig, Onix, and Faust?

I shuddered, imagining what would have happened if my pokemon truly turned against me. I had struggled to capture Onix, and I knew how powerful Faust was. And Girafarig- well, I didn't need to think to know that it would have easily exploded my brain had it came to that. I wouldn't stand a chance.

And then I remembered that there was something incredibly important that I had to tell Warren.

"I fought Raikou yesterday."

"Seriously?" Warren yelped, almost falling off the rock. I had to pull him upright, but his mouth never stopped moving. "What was Raikou doing there? Wait, what do you mean by _fought_?"

"Exactly what it means," I said. Were it any other time, I would have teased him for looking like a Magikarp on dry land, but the thought that someone was dead loomed over us, and I knew that it was no small matter. "Raikou was leading the wild pokemon we fought yesterday. It cornered us when we tried to make our escape, and we fought."

Warren stared at me, his lips moving soundlessly before he finally managed to gasp, "Then how are you even alive?"

I hesitated. Even I wasn't quite sure what happened back then, but there was a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind. "I think it let us go."

"It _let _you go?"

I nodded. "There was no way we could have won that fight. Girafarig, Onix, F- and I did everything we could, but we barely scratched it."

Warren shook his head. "Why? Why would he-"

"I think it was something Girafarig said," I added mutedly. "It... scolded Raikou, I think. And this is just a wild guess, but maybe... maybe Raikou wanted the pokemon to attack me. But Girafarig wouldn't, because no trained pokemon should attack their trainer. At least, that's just my guess on what it said since I don't know what they were actually saying," I laughed nervously.

"This doesn't make any sense," Warren muttered, looking deep in thought. "Pokemon and humans have co-existed for centuries. Did you find out why?"

I shrugged. "Maybe Raikou hates humans? Maybe the pokemon have had it with us being trainers?"

Warren bit his lip. "It sounds simplistic, and unlikely. Humans have always tried to be the best trainers that they could possibly be. The League makes sure of that. That's why gyms exist, to make sure that trainers don't mistreat their pokemon. There are exceptions, of course, but nothing drastic. And besides, if Raikou, a legendary pokemon that humans haven't seen for centuries is responsible, it has to be something big. After all, who's to say that he's the only legendary in charge of all this? The attacks in Hoenn, the sudden increase in attacks the last few months- something _happened _and that's why the pokemon are mad."

"The only question being that we don't know what," I pointed out. "And I doubt we could get answers out of Raikou just like that."

"Then..." Warren groaned, clutching his head in frustration. Suddenly, he shot up, his eyes bright. "What about Suicune?"

"What _about _Suicune?"

"It didn't attack you back in Ilex," Warren pointed out. "Well, if it isn't an illusion or a hallucination, I mean." He cleared his throat when he caught me glaring at him. "A-anyways, maybe it's on our side. Maybe it'll listen to us and tell us what's going on!"

I arched an eyebrow. "And how are you gonna find Suicune? Not to mention that we still can't understand what it's saying."

Warren chuckled. "Yeah, I forgot about that. But since I kinda understand what Gnat and Spinner and Jaws say, maybe I can understand what Suicune says?"

I sighed. "I don't think it works that way, Warren."

"Probably not, but it's probably worth a shot!" Warren grinned, his spirit burning bright for a while before a serious frown graced his features again. "We're going to Goldenrod tomorrow."

"Yeah, I heard." I eyed the boy curiously. "Why? Something going to attack us again?"

"Hopefully not," Warren said with a wince. "Although I hear that apparently trainers are getting mobbed by some Anti-Pokemon protestors. Especially after... you know." He gestured vaguely.

"Oh." I looked back at my noodles. I hadn't thought about that- Goldenrod had always been one of those towns where a sizeable majority of the population hated pokemon. Perhaps it was because pokemon simply didn't cope well in urban environments, or perhaps it was because of the close proximity of humans and pokemon that brought about festering feelings of hatred, but whatever the case, humans who wanted nothing more than to wipe out all pokemon, while having existed for centuries, had, in recent years, become more vocal and influenctial. While I simply hated training, these people hated more than that- the very existence of pokemon, the way the government seemed to put the lives of mere pokemon as of equal importance as humans, the way that the pokemon were on a rampage and nothing had been done...

Surprisingly, Dad hated that kind of thinking. "Nothing more than fools," he had muttered. "Pokemon could kill us all if they felt like it; are they _trying _to start a war? Our way of life would be completely shattered if there weren't pokemon around."

_Start a war... _I frowned, wondering whether Raikou's actions had anything to do with it. Highly doubtful, but something about the way the thunder beast was acting seemed to show that there was more afoot than what we knew.

"Anyway," Warren said, stretching his arms, "at the very least, we're finally on our way towards a second badge!"

I chuckled, amused at Warren's unrestrained spirit. We spent the rest of the night talking about simple, non-life-threatening things, the thoughts of ominous world-changing events pushed far away from my mind. A gentle breeze blew past us, and in that moment, Warren and I weren't trainers on the tail of some region-wide conspiracy, but just simple ten-year old kids enjoying an evening by the beach.

Children didn't know how simple things were when they were still wrapped up in that childhood innocence; didn't know how easily their lives could change with a flick of a finger. Had I known then that that moment would probably be one of the last few childhood memories I would have, I wondered what I would have done. Perhaps I would have ran back home, but even then, the region-wide storm that was slowly picking up power would have eventually sucked me back in, unable to fight against the strong undercurrent of destiny.

And innocence, so easily shattered, could never be recaptured again.


	29. Stirrings of a Troubled Wind

**Chapter 28**

Stirrings of a Troubled Wind

Things were going just as planned.

The man smirked, his gaze passing over the word-covered papers that lay strewn across the room, thrown haphazardly around. Instead, it found its way to the pokeball placed on his desk, its smooth sheen glowing blue in the moonlight. The curtains were drawn, and the only source of illumination was through the window, leaving the rest of the room- and him- shrouded in darkness.

But that was fine. He liked it that way.

The sound of a creaking door; footsteps that were light, sharp. Full of purpose and caution. The light sound of breathing- a young person, athletic.

"Everything worked out fine?" the man asked, scarcely bothering to greet his visitor.

A click of the tongue in annoyance. Then the sound of a switch being flicked, and suddenly the room flooded with light. "Why do you continuously insist on locking yourself in here all the time, Dad?"

Rolf Brightly snorted, and turned to face his visitor- a young man about twenty, with brown hair and hazel eyes. It took Rolf only a glance to acertain that the boy had been out for a long journey- a warm jacket over a simple T-shirt, trainers covered in mud; typical trainer clothes.

"It's quiet," the ex-champion replied sharply.

The boy- his eldest son- simply sighed and shook his head, picking up the discarded research papers that lay scattered all over the floor. "To answer your question, Dad, everything went fine," he said with a soft chuckle. "I managed to beat three of the Gym Leaders already, and I'm certain that the rest of the challenges will be easy."

"Don't be so cocky, boy," Rolf muttered. "Remember that ten years ago, you weren't even capable of beating even _one._"

His son chuckled good-heartedly and shrugged. "I was young. Naive. I didn't know how to handle dragon pokemon. But it's different now."

"I certainly hope so," Rolf sniffed. "What of your brothers?"

"Henry and Alfred have gotten their first badge from Pryce," the boy said. "As for Warren-"

Rolf made a cutting motion with his hand. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of his youngest; the failure of the family. Running around with only bug-types, pfah! The boy had no sense of respect for _tradition_, that's what it was. It didn't matter that he practically stole one of Chimera's eggs before he left, and with that idealistic mentality of his, Rolf would be surprised if the boy would even beat a gym leader, let alone make it to the League.

Of course, the League had grown soft these days. And now it was closing down altogether? Rolf wouldn't stand for it.

"So how's the research going?"

Rolf chuckled slightly, pulling out a small strap from his desk. "Well. I think it's safe to say that my prototype has been completed! All that's left is for _you _to actually test it out."

He tossed the device to the boy, watching as he fiddled with the odd, futuristic-looking strap. Finally, his son asked, somewhat doubtfully, much to Rolf's displeasure, "Are you _sure _this will work?"

"Of course it will work!" Rolf snapped. "I'm not like that old ninny Oak! I spent years actually doing something with my research instead of talking on some old radio show! Whatever the case, I think it's safe to say that the Pokemon League may not have to close down at all, if it works. And it _will _work. With all my data, all my research, it'd be impossible to fail!"

"You're... really sounding like a mad scientist there, Dad," the boy said hesitantly, slipping the strap into his pocket.

"Oh, be quiet. Can't an old man gloat anymore?" Rolf sighed, rubbing his forehead. "So where are you heading off to next?"

"Goldenrod." The boy smiled. "There's not many people there challenging the gym right now, so I figured, why not, right?"

"Make sure you test the device out as well," Rolf reminded him, tapping his fingers upon his desk. "I'd like to hear results, pronto."

"Of course." The boy gave him a casual salute, smirk in place. Then, with a swift turn of his heels, he was out of the door, leaving Rolf entirely alone in his study once more.

The old man sighed, turning to glance at the pokeball on his desk again. _Of course it won't fail, _he thought dismissively. _After all, I'm Rolf Brightly, aren't I?_

* * *

The sight of the spiraling towers of Goldenrod City in a distance looked like heaven after spending three days walking through the wilderness. After finally leaving the beach, Tony had decided that it was better to be safe than sorry, and so we returned to the well-used routes, staying well-away from the wilderness. After all, we were lucky once, and had no reason to push our luck again. Still, after all the excitement we've had since the beginning of our journey, the three days of plain old nothing-happening were filled with excruciating boredom. It became so bad that after a while, Alex and Warren would just start battling each other for the sake of doing something else other than walking. There were a few trainers out and about, but most of the League-chasing-gang had already left the area about a month ago, so the few battles we had were either against weak, for-the-fun-of-it trainers, or slackers, just like us. Needless to say, Warren and Alex did most of the battling.

Still, the one good thing about this was that the path we took made its way through many of the outlying villages and towns- and while not all of them had pokemon centers (leaving us to tend to our pokemon's various wounds by ourselves), we spent each night on with a roof over our heads and warm food in our bellies. We also managed to pick up more information of the devastating rampage that Raikou had led- a warband which had promptly disappeared into the night. No further sightings or deaths had been reported, and the wild pokemon were starting to re-appear along Ilex and the outlying areas. However, one thing I happened to hear- almost coincidentally- was that apparently there was a thunderstorm on the move, further up to the north. I wondered briefly if it was Raikou, trying to regroup and reassess the situation. Whatever the case, it had seemed that the danger had passed, although how long it would last was anybody's guess.

Nevertheless, the three days of boredom felt odd to me, and when we finally crossed the threshold into Goldenrod City proper, I felt a small charge of adrenaline at the thought of facing the city's Gym Leader, Whitney. By all accounts, she was a normal-type user, extremely adaptable to any situation, though her main style of attack would be to steamroll the opponent through sheer force.

Unfortunately, Tony wanted us to make a detour before he would even concede to letting us challenge the gym.

"But, _why_?" Alex whined, as we sat around a small table in a local coffee shop. We had arrived sometime in the early afternoon, and after spending some time staring in awe at the city's skyscrapers (and admiring the famous Goldenrod Department Store, which Warren hauled me away from before I got too distracted), Tony had decided we should sit down for lunch and discuss our next move- which, apparently, was not challenging the pokemon gym.

"Because," Tony said coldly as he sipped his tea, sitting in a poised, elegant manner one would expect of a man of class and nobility and not a fourteen year old researcher kid, "We still have a delivery to make." He surreptitiously poked the bagpack in his arms, making full well we knew which delivery he was talking about.

"But- but but but-" Alex sputtered, waving his arms like a frantic Butterfree, "It's a _gym _battle."

"I know." He delicately bit into a scone, paying no heed to the ten year old boy hyperventilating beside him. "But this is _Professor Oak _we're talking about."

"So you intend to just stroll into the Goldenrod Radio Station and demand to meet Professor Oak just like that?" Alex all but screamed, drawing curious stares from the rest of the customers before he slid slowly back into his seat in shame.

"Pretty much."

Warren and I exchanged glances. "Why don't we just split up, then?" I suggested.

"No can do," Tony replied without skipping a beat. "_Those _two said they'll protect me through thick or thin, so they better stick to their word and follow me all the way until this precious cargo is handed off safely."

I could see Alex grind his teeth at the statement, fists clenched tightly by his sides, while Warren looked more obsessed with fiddling around his pokegear than caring really how this conversation went.

"Then, why don't I-"

"No." The older boy didn't even let me finish before he sipped his tea again. "You constantly get yourself into trouble. I will not allow you out of my sight, lest you suddenly drag back an angry Scyther or goodness knows what else from wherever you wander off to."

"It's not like I go out there looking for trouble," I muttered.

"I think that's kind of his point, Dew," Warren muttered.

I glared at my traitor best friend, who simply shrugged before innocently returning to fiddling with his pokegear. I folded my arms and huffed, and in some corner of my mind that spent way too much time listening to Girafarig, a voice whispered, _You know it's true._

_Shut up. _I mentally rebuked it. _You're not out of your pokeball, so stop bugging me._

"At any rate," Tony said calmly, "by all accounts, Oak's radio show won't be done till around three in the afternoon. That leaves us with about an hour to wander around again, take in the sights. All in favor?"

I merely shrugged, while Warren gave a little nod in agreement. The only one that seemed miffed by the arrangement was Alex.

"Do we have a choice?" he muttered, still pouting. "I could finish a gym battle in under fifteen minutes, you know."

Tony smirked. "Against Whitney? The only chance of you finishing that quickly would be if she crushed you flat like a pancake." The older boy shrugged, getting out from his seat. "Honestly speaking, I think you're better off training a bit before even thinking about challenging her. The same goes for you two." He eyed Warren and myself with a tiny smirk.

I muttered something incoherent, while Alex simply continued to pout, and Warren simply smiled in his blissfully unaware manner.

"Then how about an afternoon stroll in the National Park?" Warren suddenly spoke up, leaning on the small table. "I hear they have rare pokemon over there. Apparently some guy caught a Sudowoodo there some time back- and there are Scythers and Pinsirs and all sorts of bug types roaming around. It'd be awesome!"

I rolled my eyes, and Tony let out a little chuckle. Nevertheless, even a somewhat-reluctant Alex had to agree that the plan sounded good- anything involving pokemon and training for a new badge would have gotten him out of that seat. As for me, I was just curious. The National Park was one of Johto's crowning glories, and I had always heard about how beautiful it was or how wonderfully friendly the pokemon there were.

And then I caught Warren's eye. There was a dangerous glint to it, like steel, and suddenly, a cold realization sank in.

_Of course, _I thought, wondering just how I had forgotten. After all, Goldenrod had been attacked around the same time as Azalea, and the culprits were the pokemon of the National Park.

Though that particular piece of information seemed to go right over Alex's head, I could tell from Tony's wary look that he was well-aware of the circumstances, and perhaps, he knew that there was more to it than simply 'visiting the National Park'. Warren must have seen me hesitate, because he gave me a reassuring, bright smile.

"Don't worry," he said. "We're pokemon trainers, and we've got pokemon to count on. Besides, it's already been a week since the rampage. We'll just go in, take a quick look, and come out again in time to meet Professor Oak. Nothing to it."

I nodded, trying my best to ignore that strange feeling of trepidation that had sunk into my gut. Yet the memory of Raikou's flashing eyes still remained in my mind, that haunting roar echoing still in my ears.

"After all," Warren added breezily, "What's the worse that could happen?"

I stiffled an inward groan.

* * *

Right after the pokemon attacks, the National Park had been shut down for a few days as researchers and trainers tried to figure out what exactly had triggered the rampage. It soon became obvious from the news reports that they found nothing, and there were rumors spreading around that it was the work of the Olivine Psychic (which I didn't doubt for one minute), but Warren obviously wanted to come to his own conclusions. Though what he hoped to find after the Goldenrod scientists had gone over the area with a fine-toothed comb was beyond me, but Warren being Warren, I had utter faith in him that he'd find _something. _

Now, a week after the attacks, the Park was open once more, but what surprised me was how empty and quiet it seemed to be. It was oddly calm- nothing amiss, but no pokemon or trainers wandering around. The few people that passed through the area looked like travellers, probably heading to Ecruteak or to Violet, and they didn't even waste any time to appreciate the gentle sound of the wind through the grasses.

"What are we doing here again?" Alex asked irritably.

"Enjoying ourselves," Warren replied with a smile so bright I knew it had to be fake. "Come on. We still have six months till the Pokemon League, and shouldn't we enjoy every bit of our journey? No point just hitting the gyms as soon as we roll into town, right?"

Alex folded his arms and was about to retort when Tony cut in with a weary, "Leave it be, Alex."

"Fine," the black-haired boy muttered, pouting, "but I'm not going to enjoy this. What is it that's so important that you absolutely _have _to come here, anyway, Brightly?"

Warren shrugged, his eyes scanning the tall grass. But I caught the subtle shift in his stance that made it known that he was surprised that Alex even knew that there was some _other _reason why we were here. Yet, the movement was so minute that if I hadn't been watching Warren like a hawk ever since we entered the National Park, I wouldn't have noticed it. Alex certainly didn't notice anything amiss. And with a casual shrug, Warren made certain that it stayed that way.

"Scyther," the boy replied. "There's a local population of Scyther right here in Goldenrod."

"Of course," Alex muttered with a groan. "A bug maniac like you would be attracted to Goldenrod. Going after a Pinsir too?"

"Sure," Warren said with a smile. "Why not?"

Tony snorted derisively. "You're not one to talk, Alex. Do you truly expect to blaze through the Pokemon League with only two pokemon? At least Warren's making an attempt to capture more pokemon to add to his team- which is a lot more than what you've been doing recently, isn't it?"

Alex glared at Tony. "Fine," he snarled, "I'll catch every pokemon in this damn park, and _then _I'll beat the crap out of Whitney and the League!" Then, before we could even respond, the boy rushed off, pushing through the tall grass with such speed that within a few minutes, all that we could make of him was a distant figure at the other end of the park, a bobbing yellow object which looked a lot like a Bellsprout wrapped tightly around his head.

"Was that really neccessary?" I finally asked.

Tony shrugged. "You two want to investigate the recent attacks, right? That boy, and his enthusiasm, will probably only get in your way. Besides, I meant what I said- nobody has ever beaten the League with anything less than a full team. And really, I can't in good concience let the boy fail in his endeavors without at least trying to give him some good advice."

"Thanks, Tony," Warren said with a grin. "You interested in coming along?"

The older boy scrunched his nose. "Much as I'd loath to join you, I also meant what I said when I said I wouldn't be taking my eyes off Dew."

"Since when did you decide to become my bodyguard?" I muttered.

"Since you got seperated from us, twice, and ended up in situations that no other normal ten year old should have the luck to face," Tony replied calmly. "And since my other bodyguard has decided to run off to goodness-knows-where, well..." He shrugged, a small smirk playing on his face.

"Fair enough," Warren chuckled. "Come on, then."

He led us towards a seperate path from the one Alex took, through a small, dirt-trodden path at the nothern edge of the Park, away from the paved stone and the flowerbeds that marked the borders of civilization. It wasn't the eerie silence that we had grown used to, and after close inspection, you could see small beady eyes watching us as we progressed further into the Park. I even spotted Metapods dozing on the shady branches of trees after a while, and heard the cries of Hoot-hoot and other bug-type pokemon as we continued down the game trail.

And then Warren slowed to a halt. He spent a moment glancing up at the canopy, watching the shadows of pokemon pass overhead. An intense look of concentration passed over his features, as if he was searching for something; anything.

"Found something?" Tony asked.

Warren frowned, glancing around. "No. That's just it- there's nothing amiss. If we didn't know that there was an attack here, one week ago, this would just be another typical day in Goldenrod."

"What are we looking for, exactly?" I asked.

"Whoever was responsible for this, of course," Warren replied, kneeling down to examine a nearby bush.

"Wouldn't that be Esper?"

Warren shook his head. "There's no proof it was a human that came up with this attack. There's no proof that there was even any humans involved with the attacks. All we know so far is the constant speculation that only a powerful psychic pokemon, most likely a trained one, was involved in those staged attacks over the past ten years." He dusted his pants, glancing at me. "But then, when we were fighting Esper in Ilex, there was an attack right over here. And I _know _that the range of Teleport isn't that far that you can jump from Ilex to Goldenrod. Plus, you say that Raikou was involved in the attack a few nights ago."

I nodded. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I want to know exactly what we're dealing with here," Warren said. "Whether it's pokemon, or humans. Once we find out who's involved, then we can work on the why. Hopefully then, we can find a way to stop all of this."

"So that's what you two were up to?" Tony arched an eyebrow. "And here I hoped you were telling the truth when you said that you were just following family tradition."

"I am!" Warren puffed his cheeks up. "I really do want to be the pokemon champion! But first, I've got to figure out how to stop the Pokemon League from shutting down! And that's why I need your help, Tony- you, and your pokedex!"

There was a pregnant pause for a moment, then Tony gave a resigned chuckle. "So that's why you asked me if I was coming along."

Warren nodded. "If we use both the pokedex's data and a psychic pokemon, we might be able to get reads off the area about any unusual activity influencing the local population over the past week. Especially if there really was a psychic-type pokemon or trainer around."

"Wouldn't the scientists have already done that, though?" I asked.

Tony shook his head. "Pokedexes, while extremely useful, are basically only used by people chosen by the Pokemon Professors. It's very rare to obtain one. More than that, remember, Dew, that apart from the three of us, the thought of another suspect being in charge of this crime- let alone a legendary pokemon- hasn't occured to anyone yet."

"And if we want them to believe us," Warren spoke up, "we need proof."

"Okay." I blinked.

An awkward silence settled over us as two of them stared at me. Finally, Tony spoke up. "The only psychic pokemon we have is currently in your posession, isn't it?"

"O-oh. Right." I fumbled with Girafarig's ball, slightly embarrassed for not thinking about from the start. I heard Tony click his tongue in exasperation, but thankfully he said nothing.

Upon its release, the psychic pokemon shook its mane with a neigh. Curiously, it glanced around, taking in the surroundings, before I was aware of the mild sensation of it filtering through my thoughts. With a gentle snort, it stepped in front of Warren, waiting.

I bit my lip. "This won't hurt Girafarig, will it?"

"Of course not," Tony assured me. "Just tell it to scan over the entire area. If it notices anything amiss, I'll sync it up with the pokedex and we can, perhaps, turn in the findings to Oak when we meet him later."

"Giragi," Girafarig added soothingly, sensing my worry. "Gi gira."

I nodded, though a feeling of unease settled over me. Still, if Girafarig and Tony said it was fine, there wasn't much I could say to that, right? Besides, if the culprit behind the pokemon attacks- if Esper- was found, maybe then my life could return to some semblance of normalcy.

"Right, ready when you are," Warren grinned.

"It occurs to me that, in the end, it's up to Girafarig and I to collect this highly important data for your quest," Tony remarked dryly, deflating the younger boy's enthusiasm slightly. With a small smile, he courteously turned to my psychic pokemon and bowed. "Well, then, Girafarig, whenever you want to begin, you may do so."

"Gi." Girafarig nodded, then closed its eyes. To any random passerbys, it would look as though it was merely a Girafarig dozing in the shade of the trees, far from the afternoon heat. Perhaps it was because I was getting used to Girafarig and its powers, but if I stared at it hard enough, I could have sworn I saw ripples of faintly coloured light emerging from the tip of its antlers.

The minutes ticked by. Oddly enough, Warren didn't seem to lose his energy or his enthusiasm, standing watch with a cheerful grin on his face. Tony, meanwhile, looked on with mild amusement as I found a nearby rock, brushed off the stray leaves, and settled down for the long haul. I didn't know how long we waited. Not long enough for Tony to halt the experiment and decide it was time for us to meet Oak, but it felt as though hours had passed by.

And then, for a split second, I heard a dull hum carried on the autumn wind.

At first, I thought that maybe the previous attacks had made me a bit too paranoid, but when I caught it again, dulled with the sound of rustling leaves, I felt myself tense.

A moment after that, Girafarig's eyes flew open, and it let out a cry into the dense forest. All of a sudden, a green blur darted out from the shadow of a nearby tree, almost too fast for us to react.

Well, almost all of us.

Girafarig screeched, and the familiar pulse of psychic energy filled the air. Caught just a second before it could reach its target, the attacker was frozen in mid-air in front of Warren, sharp, dual arm-blades aimed directly at his throat. And just like before, when I had seen a similiar pokemon in the Ilex Forest, I felt an intense jolt of fear through my body.

_Scyther. _It was held tightly in mid-air, but that did nothing to stop the fast beating of its wings, nor the terrifying look in its eyes.

"Giira!" Girafarig neighed, and just as quickly as it had appeared, it was sent hurtling through the air, slammed into a tree opposite of where I stood.

But even that didn't keep it down. Instantly, it was back on its feet, blades drawn. "Scyyy!" it roared at us, aggresively waving its arms in the air.

"Dew, stay back!" Warren ordered, immediately interposing himself between me and the angry bug pokemon as he released Jaws. Likewise, Girafarig stepped in front of us, tail swishing. However, even the normally laughing face on the tail was now turned into a frown.

"I assure you that when I said you'd drag back an angry Scyther," Tony spoke up, releasing Coil, "I never really thought I would be right."

I managed a weak smile. "I was hoping you'd be wrong, to be honest. So what do we do?"

"Nothing." Warren said, glancing back at the two of us.

"What?" Tony snapped, even as my jaw dropped. "You can't seriously be considering-"

"Capturing a Scyther?" Warren flashed a grin, any trace of fear unseen in his eyes. He gave us a thumbs up. "I'm a bug pokemon trainer. I can't very well pass this chance up, right?"

I bit my lip, clutching tightly to Mareep's pokeball. A quick glance at Girafarig showed that, likewise, it was watching us with a mixture of shock and fear. Warren was in over his head. He just didn't know that.

"That thing tried to kill you," I spoke up. "And you want to capture it? Warren, are you _insane_?"

"Hey, Mareep tried to fry you and Onix tried to kill you too, right?" Warren retorted. "Compared to that, I'd feel a bit insecure if I didn't at least try to capture something that didn't try to kill me once! Jaws, go!"

Scyther looked slightly surprised as Jaws shook its giant head around upon its release, before stomping down into some semblance of a defensive stance in front of the bug pokemon. If the bug pokemon wasn't trying to kill us earlier, it would have almost seemed comedic to place tiny, little, unthreatening Jaws against this tall and slender, blade-wielding pokemon.

"Girafarig," I began, "back him up-"

"No!" Warren interjected quickly, catching both the psychic pokemon and myself by surprise. "If I want to get a Scyther's respect, I've got to catch it by myself. Dew, Girafarig, stay out of this!"

I blinked, trying to form some sort of retort in my brain, but before anything resembling words escaped my mouth, Warren had leapt forward, right next to Jaws- right in front of the Scyther, who was now eyeing him with something akin to glee.

"Jaws, Bite!" Warren yelled, and the little ground pokemon bounded up towards the Scyther, jaws gnashing.

I winced as the Scyther let out a cry, leaping up into the air, its arms swinging around in a blur. Jaws didn't get a chance to attack as it was struck head-on, tossed into the air from the force of the blow. It hit the ground with a light thud, the Scyther watching it dismissively.

"Jaws!" Warren called. "C'mon! We gotta show this bug who's boss!"

I was confused. I had thought that it wanted to kill us, so why was it just watching as Warren egged Jaws to get back up and fight?

"Gira gi," Girafarig snorted by my side. It didn't enter the battle as per Warren's wishes, but it kept stepping closer to me; protecting me... just in case.

"It's toying with him," Tony muttered. "Trying to make him suffer before finishing him off."

That was a horrifying thought. Still, watching Warren, a determined gleam in his eye, something prompted me to say, "If it's Warren, he'll be fine."

"Sand Attack!" Warren yelled. At his command, the Trapinch ran at the Scyther, kicking up a dust cloud as it went.

However, the Scyther merely snorted, and with a grin, dashed straight into the attack without missing a beat. I watched in amazement as the sheer speed of its wings blew away the sand attack, leaving Jaws critically exposed. Another hit, and the Trapinch was sent flying once again.

But neither Warren nor Jaws were ready to give up. The little Trapinch pulled itself right back up, growling a little at the grinning Scyther. But that was all it seemed to have going for it- after all, Scyther was quicker than the ground type, and any ground attacks that they might have used would easily be outmaneouvred by Scyther's mobility and speed.

Remembering how terrifying Bugsy's Scyther had been on the battlefield, I could imagine why Warren wanted it so badly. But unlike Bugsy's Scyther, this one had eyes that held the intent to murder; eyes filled with a deep, burning hatred.

Warren seemed to pay it no heed. "Again!" he commanded Jaws. "Bite! Get it!"

"Traaaap!" the Trapinch cried, dashing towards the Scyther as fast as it could.

I knew better than to question what Warren was doing. But even so, every time Jaws came within arm's length of the Scyther, the bug pokemon had simply batted it aside, as if it wasn't a threat. What difference would this time make? Still, like Warren had said, it wasn't in our place to interfere. And Warren seemed to be alright, for now.

And then I caught sight of the Scyther's eyes. The hint of amusement that was there before had completely disappeared, and now its dark eyes gleamed brightly with a devious light. In a split second, I noticed how it tensed its body, how its left foot was sliding back slightly to give it a boost when it took off. How the angle of its blades wasn't aimed at Jaws this time, but at Warren. Its grin grew, and it moved-

_A trap. _

I tried to glance at Girafarig; to give a command. But what happened next was so sudden that, in a blink of an eye, the tides of battle shifted completely.

"Faint Attack!"

"Pinch!"

The Scyther had been distracted, slightly. It had attempted to try to soar above the ground pokemon and attack Warren directly, but a slight shift in Jaw's direction, a slight miscalculation of where the little ground pokemon would attack, and suddenly, it was wide open. With a speed that I had been certain Jaws would not be able to manage, the Trapinch had somehow ended up behind the Scyther, and with a single bite, it seized hold of the Scyther's wings, dragging it down onto the ground.

"Scy- Scy scy!" the Scyther cried in panic, waving its arms in an attempt to get the Trapinch off its back, but Jaws simply sat still, unmoving. It didn't take too long before a pokeball hit it on the head, sucking it into the spherical device. There was a slight struggle, but the pokeball soon sat still in the grass, the pokemon captured.

"Alright!" Warren grinned. "I thought I was getting rusty after all those months of not catching anything!"

I let out a sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding. _Of course Warren would be okay, _I told myself. _He probably saw the trap beforehand and set his own counter-measures against it. _

By my side, Girafarig nudged me gently, neighing softly. Purple light was surrounding its horns, and I smiled slightly. Even if Warren had told us not to interfere, Girafarig would have stopped the Scyther had things grown too dangerous.

"Well done," Tony said, hardly unperturbed by everything that had just happened. The older boy returned Coil to its pokeball and walked towards Warren, who was now petting Jaws delightfully on the head after he had retrieved Scyther's pokeball.

"Thanks," Warren grinned. "I've been waiting forever to catch a Scyther. Can you imagine? It's like a lifelong dream come true!"

I sighed. "That thing tried to kill us, you know."

"Giragi," Girafarig agreed, snorting disdainfully as Warren admired the pokeball in the light filtering through the trees.

"I know," Warren replied calmly, standing up. "But it was probably just feeling threatened or something. It'll be like Gnat and Jaws before you know it!"

I blinked, an unsettling feeling falling over my heart at the words. But before I could figure out why or how, Tony spoke.

"Unfortunately, it seems that if there was anyone here stirring up the wild pokemon, they left no psychic trace," he said, holding the pokedex out towards Warren. "Looks like you're back to square one."

"Or it could be the legendary pokemon instead," I spoke up. "If there weren't any psychic pokemon manipulating the population into an attack, maybe it was because the pokemon were following a leader they respected and attacked upon its orders."

Warren frowned and shrugged. "We can't dismiss the possibility, but there's just too little we know about legendary pokemon to come to a safe conclusion. But, at least we know Esper- or any psychic pokemon or trainer- wasn't behind this."

"That's something, I suppose," Tony said. "Not enough to prove your theory, but enough to give us an idea where to start."

"Us?" Warren and I echoed.

Tony shrugged. "I'm travelling with you two, aren't you? And admittedly, getting to the bottom of this mystery would be highly beneficial for the entire region. Being somewhat interested in pokemon research myself, this is too good an oppurtunity to pass up."

Warren chuckled, a big smile stretched across his features. "Guess I made the right call asking for your help."

The older boy smirked. "We'll see about that. But nonetheless, I think we've found everything we're bound to find in this forest. What say you we find Alex and go back to, oh, I don't know... dropping off the pokemon egg to Professor Oak?"

I blinked and Warren laughed sheepishly. "Forgot entirely about that, actually," he muttered. "Still, meeting Professor Oak and catching a Scyther both in one day is just incredible!"

Tony chuckled, waving us along as he began walking back. "Just don't act like a crazed fanboy, hm? Now come on. We've got to find Alex."

Warren didn't hesitate to catch up with Tony as they made their way back. However, as I turned to follow, I glanced back at Girafarig.

And there the psychic pokemon stood, a grim look on its face with tension radiating off its body. I could tell that something was bothering it, and when I followed its gaze, I realized it was eyeing Warren's departing figure with something akin to anger.

"Girafarig?" I reached out to touch it, but it shook my hand off even before I made contact.

"Giragi," Girafarig huffed. "Gira gi."

I blinked, the familiar sense that I was missing something settling over me. Why was Girafarig suddenly so angry at Warren? Just a few minutes ago, it was more than willing to protect the boy, but now...

I chewed my lip. Well, if I was meant to foster a close relationship with my starter, I figured that I had to at least try to figure out what was bothering it now. "Did something happen? Was it the Scyther?"

Girafarig snorted, tossing its mane. "Gi ra," it said sharply.

Whatever that was supposed to mean, I had no idea. With a sigh, Girafarig glanced down at me (I was starting to realize how shortI was compared to the full-grown pokemon), as if analyzing me for some ulterior motive.

"Girafarig?" I asked, cautiously. While it didn't seem like it was going to go on a rampage or anything, there was something markedly _cold _about the way it was watching me. Almost as if it didn't hold any manner of regard for me-

And then, in a moment, its eyes softened and it nudged the pokeball on my belt. "Gira gi, girafarig," it said softly. I could see the troubled look in its eyes, but whatever the problem was, it wouldn't tell me- or couldn't. Instead, it merely glanced back at Tony and Warren, who were now a fair distance away, waiting for me to catch up.

I frowned. Still, there was little I could do. For all I knew, maybe Girafarig was still pissed off at Raikou or something. Still, as I returned Girafarig to its pokeball, I couldn't help but feel insecure all of a sudden. With a cautious glance backwards to ensure that there weren't any other homicidal pokemon stalking us, I quickly followed Tony and Warren and left the little clearing.

"Something the matter?" Warren asked me when I caught up with them. He was playing with Scyther's pokeball, a bright grin on his face. The afternoon light cast a certain glow to his features, making them warm and friendly, trustworthy and open.

But there was something about his smile that put Girafarig on edge. And although I quickly covered up my hesitation and told him that everything was fine, I couldn't help but wonder just what it was that Warren did that made me feel as though I was missing a piece to an even larger puzzle.

A puzzle which, at some point or another, involved my Girafarig.

* * *

A/N: Reaaally don't have that much time on my hands nowadays, hence the distant updates. Still, hopefully I'll get more time soon to concentrate on the fic, although I probably have a million other things I have to do before university starts.


	30. The Goals We Strive For

Finally managed to get this chapter done after what? 5 months? ... Don't expect me to get any faster though. University is a killer TwT Hopefully I didn't slip any plot holes in here when I wasn't looking, and again, much thanks to all you readers who actually put up with me and my untidy and bad schedule of updating.

* * *

**Chapter 29**

**The Goals We Strive For**

"That's the Radio Tower?" Alex asked, staring at the building before us; a multi-storied building with a tall steel structure that seemed to stretch up into the sky upon its rooftop, its metallic surface glinting in the late afternoon sunlight. You could see satellite dishes all along its length, with a single sign declaring "Goldenrod Radio Station" placed strategically above the entrance.

"Yup," Warren, ever the obvious, replied. He stood nearby, shielding his eyes from the sun, chipper and bright after the earlier fiasco which netted him a new pokemon.

Alex sighed and folded his arms. Unlike Warren, his attempts at catching a wild pokemon had ended up in vain; all he came back with when we saw him again were scratches on his arms, a fainted Bellsprout and Sandshrew, and a very angry disposition. In an attempt to preserve the peace, Tony, Warren and I hadn't made any remarks about it, though Warren's brightness was obviously irking Alex somewhat.

"Let's just get this over and done with," Alex scowled.

"Weren't you absolutely dying to meet Professor Oak, though?" Tony asked with the faintest hint of a teasing smile. "Lighten up, Alex. You don't want the Professor's first impression of you to be a moody young child."

"Like you're one to talk," Alex muttered, but he did manage to hide his scowl as we entered through the building's doors. Somewhat.

The electronic doors opened, revealing a clean, small lobby, with a receptionist desk, a couple of sofas, and a potted plant or two. It seemed quiet, despite being one of the most important radio stations in all of the Johto region. A few well-dressed celebrities sat at the indoor cafe, chatting and the likes, while a security guard stood nearby, shooting glares at anyone who came by.

And standing next to a nearby potted plant, Professor Oak stood around glancing nervously at the nearby clock, as if waiting for someone.

There was no way I could have mistaken him. Even though the word 'training' was never ever uttered at home, I had glimpsed Professor Oak before on TV, mostly on the news, but sometimes on those odd Mareep-raring channels that Dad liked to surf. Even so, there was something about Professor Oak that made you notice him right away. His hair was a lot whiter than I had seen on TV, and there were more wrinkles around his eyes than I had noticed, but there was something warm about his eyes; hardly cold or calculating like you expected a professor to be, but soft and gentle like what I imagined a grandfather's eyes would have been like.

"Professor Oak?" Tony asked, stepping towards the old man, hand outstretched; the perfect gentleman. "I'm Tony Archer. Professor Elm asked me to give something to you."

The old man looked startled at being addressed, but quite quickly, his smile returned to his face and he took Tony's hand. "When Professor Elm told me that he was sending someone over, I didn't expect it to be Phil Archer's son. It's nice to meet you, and I suppose these are your travelling companions?" He glanced over at us.

I shrunk back slightly, edging closer towards Warren. But the Professor's smile was warm and friendly, and his enthusiasm caught on with Warren, who stepped up with a bright smile. "Warren Brightly, sir. I'm a pokemon trainer, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I look up to you."

"Alex Farr," Alex managed to say, without a hint of irritation in his voice. He seemed itching to walk over and shake the professor's hand, but managed enough self-control not to. Meeting Professor Oak must have momentarily caused him to forget to be angry. "I'm a trainer too. Tony asked us to protect him on the way to Olivine, but I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you. It's a real honour, sir."

And then his eyes rested lightly on me. I could feel the expectation from everyone, but instead of encouraging me to greet this awesome (and slightly intimidating) man, I found my tongue unable to move. All I managed to squeak out was, "Budew Eldridge, sir. I-I'm a trainer too."

That seemed to be satisfactory. The Professor gave me a warm, encouraging smile, and then turned back to Tony. I was more than grateful for the distraction, sliding back to Warren as soon as he glanced away.

"So what did Elm send you up here for?" Professor Oak asked curiously as he sized Tony up. "He didn't give any details, just said that it was urgent."

"If it's alright with you, sir, I prefer we not talk about it in public," Tony said. "Is there anywhere we can go...?"

The older man frowned slightly, but nodded in acquiesance. "There's an empty recording studio upstairs, since we just finished up our daily radio broadcast. We can talk there."

* * *

The recording studio was a small room at the end of a hallway on the second floor. Professor Oak led us past a security guard who was closely scrutinizing our every step, and a bunch of curious onlookers who I supposed were local radio stars of some sort, judging by Warren's ramblings.

"I think I just saw Mary," he said in a low voice, capable for only me to hear. "And is that- oh man, I think that I just spotted those famous Ecruteak dancers being interviewed! And-and-and-! That's the Suicune expert! Eusine!"

"Calm down, Warren," Alex said nonchalantly, yanking the boy's hat over his eyes. "And come on. We'll never keep up with Tony if you keep lagging behind."

Warren looked like he was about to retort something childishly, but quickly shut up when Tony glanced over and glared at us.

"So, what is it that Elm sent you for?" Oak asked after we streamed into the room, seating casually in one of the chairs. He quickly gestured for us to do likewise, and after a moment of glancing around, the three of us (sans Tony, who was always cool as a cucumber in any situation) awkwardly grabbed a few chairs that were lying around.

"Here, sir," Tony said, producing the egg from the folds of his bagpack. A silence fell over the room as Oak took it gently in his hands, turning it over, examining it with critical eyes.

"I'm not the expert on eggs," he finally said quietly as he set it gently on the table, "but I've never seen an egg like this before. Where did you say it was found?"

Tony quirked a wry smile. "Off the coast of Route 34," he said. "The daycare couple found it floating in the surf. Supposedly they detected life, and sent it with us to give it to you on Elm's instructions."

"Interesting," Oak frowned, running his fingers down the egg's shell. "Did they say what pokemon egg this was?"

The older boy hesitated, glancing over at Warren and I. "To be honest, sir, they have no clue. Although, Warren here has an idea of what it may be."

"Oh?" Oak leaned in close, peering at Warren with careful eyes. The warmth was still there, but there was something analytical in his gaze. At that moment, I think it really hit home that I was sitting in front of _the _Pokemon Professor.

"It's the egg of Manaphy," Warren supplied, his voice steady, though his hands were trembling slightly. "I've seen drawings of it at home, from the ancient scrolls of the Johto region. You don't see colouration and texture like this on any other pokemon egg."

"You're talking about legendary pokemon," Oak said quietly. There was no telling what he meant by that. Warren and I exchanged glances, while Alex peered at us curiously.

Finally, Warren met the researcher's eyes and said, "There has never been proof for whether legendaries exist or not. But I know my legends, and if that egg really is Manaphy's-"

"It'll be a breakthrough," Tony finished.

Oak sat back into his chair, calmly rubbing his chin as his eyes seemed to stare off into a distance. Distantly, he said, "Yes indeed, it will be. Such a discovery would turn the entire scientific world upside-down. To whomever discovers such a fact, there would be not only accolades and recognition, but he would go down in history as one of the most important men in pokemon research."

Despite his words, there was a chord of sadness and warning in his voice. Hesitantly, I asked, "I-isn't that good, sir?"

The old man looked at me with such sad, aged eyes that spoke of a vast experience larger than I could even begin to understand. With a wan smile, the Pokemon Professor said, "Well, I suppose it would advance pokemon research, but until we prove that, it'll only be a distant dream. However, it looks like the means to find out whether legendaries exist or not is right within our grasp." He nodded at the egg.

"So, you'll hatch it?" Tony asked, holding the precious egg towards the Professor.

Oak chuckled. "If we're going based on the legends, the pokemon that should come out of that egg should be Phione, but the egg will only hatch if it's in warmer seas. Perhaps Warren would know where the best place for that would be?"

Warren sat up straight, surprised at being addressed so suddenly. "That would be Sinnoh, sir," he said automatically.

"Very good," the Professor chuckled. "Unfortunately, I have my hands full, and my old bones don't take too well to travelling so far off," he continued calmly. "I could contact an old colleague of mine to meet up with you, but you would probably have to wait for months before he can make it down to Johto."

"That won't be neccessary, Professor," Tony said. "I can take the egg there myself."

"Isn't that a little far off, though, Tony?" Alex asked in surprise. "I mean, you'll have to cross through not only the Whirl Islands, but Hoenn as well!"

"That's fine," Tony said with a small smirk. "After all, I was heading to Sinnoh myself, on research involving the evolution of Magnemites."

"Ah, that's right," Professor Oak murmured, "Magnetons are known to evolve within Mt Coronet. Elm did say he was going to send someone to research about it. It was you?"

Tony nodded. "I was the only one of Elm's assistants that had a Magnemite on hand, so it seemed prudent for me to be the one to go. Plus, I had wanted to evolve my Magnemite for a while."

"Then it all works out," Oak said with a smile. However, that smile faltered slightly when he spoke next. "You will have to be very careful, though."

"What for?" Alex asked with a drawl. "He's just going to go hatch an egg."

Oak nodded. "Yes, but what if someone caught wind that legendaries exist? If you're a trainer, what would you do?"

"Catch it, of course," Alex said without hesitation before the true weight of the question sank in. "Oh."

"Of course, again, we won't be certain until that egg hatches, but still, imagine how many people would want to steal an egg of Manapy." Oak frowned. "Even if it's just a rumor... It's troubling to know that I'm entrusting such a task to youngsters such as yourself. Still, I of all people know that children like yourselves, pokemon trainers especially, are far more capable than we adults think. But nevertheless, do try to be careful. We wouldn't want any information- or the egg- to fall into the wrong hands."

The weight of the words was heavy. Tony smiled lightly as he stood up, as though such a burden was inconsequential. Smoothing the wrinkles on his blouse, he briskly reached a hand out towards the old man and said,"We'll be fine, Professor. Thank you for your time."

Oak took it with a quiet stare, one filled with warning. The older boy smiled in return, though he seemed to be gripping Oak's hand a bit tighter than one normally would. With a quick, polite nod of his head, he turned and left.

As Tony walked out of the room, Oak turned and stopped us from scrambling out of our chairs with his calm words. "You children are travelling together to protect him, aren't you?" he asked, his voice filled with worry and unsaid words.

Warren hesitated and I said nothing. (Dad taught me that if there was nothing to say, it need not be spoken.) Oak seemed so concerned for our well-being, even though we had only just met him. I knew that in Pallet Town, he was the one in charge of giving young trainers their starter pokemon. I wondered how many young people he had bid farewell- and whether he worried about each and every one of them as they set out into the world, unknowing of the dangers that they would face. The expression he wore spoke of how dangerous he knew this task to be, even without saying it.

Alex, however, gave the professor a firm look, his eyes burning with determination. "Don't worry, Professor," he said tightly, "We won't let anything happen to either him or that egg."

* * *

Tony was waiting for us at the base of the Radio Tower. He arched an eyebrow, and he didn't need to speak to get across the message that we had been wasting his time.

"You didn't tell me you were going to Sinnoh," Alex muttered as he caught up to the older boy, scowling as he eyed him with folded arms.

"Well, there was no point telling you that," Tony replied. "If you're worried about my safety, don't be. Once I reach Sinnoh, I'll meet up with my relatives. My cousin's a pokemon trainer. He's going to escort me through Mount Coronet, so it's perfectly safe. And besides, after the Team Galactic fiasco, security's been tight, and the region's pretty quiet."

Alex seemed unconvinced, but kept his mouth shut. And just like that, the conversation within our little group died, and we silently followed Tony through the crowded streets of Goldenrod.

At least, until we came across two boys standing directly in our path.

They weren't tall, these boys. The taller was slightly bigger than Tony, and the other one seemed too short for his age. They looked older than us- the shorter one seemed to have a goatee while the taller one looked almost to be a young adult, around eighteen or so. They both had brown hair and hazel eyes, with the same smug expression on their face, too similar to be anything but related to one another- and to someone else.

"What are you guys doing here?" Warren said in a half-surprised, half-angry voice, pushing past Tony to face the two standing in our way.

"Aw, is that any way to greet your family, little bro?" the younger one taunted. He smirked, arms folded. "What, not even an introduction?"

Warren clicked his tongue in irritation. "Guys, my older brothers Henry and Gabriel. Gab's the elder. My... friends- Tony Archer, Alex Farr, and Budew Eldridge. Now, can you_ please_ tell me what are you guys doing here?"

"We came to find you," the older one- Gab- said calmly. He looked almost bored as he eyed us. "We want you to return home now and stop this stupid farce of trying to become a pokemon trainer."

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, knowing how useless bug types are, I'm surprised you even got to Goldenrod! How many badges do you even have?"

"One," Warren muttered, ducking his head. His brothers smirked, with no warmth or concern in their eyes.

"Only one?" Gabriel murmured. "I managed to get all the way to Ecruteak with four badges before I finally decided that the Tournament was just a waste of my time."

I could see Alex bristling at their degrading tone. Funny, I thought distantly. I didn't think he cared about Warren, but perhaps the insult to the League itself was enough to anger him. Tony's eyes were narrowed, and I knew he felt the same anger and irritance as I did, but he held a restraining hand on Alex's shoulder so to keep him from doing anything impulsive. Not like the Brightly brothers noticed, at any rate.

"Well, it's to be expected when you're a weakling," Henry sneered. "Now come on. Quit wasting time and let's go. The train's gonna leave soon."

"What?" Warren gasped in audible surprise. "You mean you want me to go home with you, right now?"

Gabriel folded his arms. "Isn't that clear enough, Warren? Dad isn't happy that you took a pokemon egg without his permission with you when you left, and he isn't happy that you're out shaming the Brightly name by attempting to be a... _bug _pokemon trainer. We heard the story about how you were thrashed by Falkner and decided it was better for all involved if you came home right now. Now, say your goodbyes and let's go."

Warren gaped with his mouth wide open, unable to make a sound. He looked conflicted, and shocked, but I knew that he didn't want to leave. Not yet, and certainly not like this.

And then Tony, perhaps having had enough of the two of them, decided to step in. "Unfortunately, your brother will have to decline," he said icily. "He currently has a contract with me, and I'm afraid I can't afford to have him leave just yet."

"Is that so?" Henry sneered. "What're you working with this guy for, Warren? You don't even look fit enough to be a carrier boy."

"T-that's none of your business," Warren said, taking the oppurtunity to try to recover the momentum of the conversation. He squared his shoulders, trying to look taller than he actually was. "But I can't go home with you guys now."

The two of them fell silent for a while, their smiling facade momentarily broken. It was unsettling to see the anger from those eyes, eyes that seemed so much like Warren's. They were angry, though at what, I didn't know. All I knew was that, at that time, the two of them seemed far too scary and mean to be anyone related to the Warren I knew.

And then just like that, Gabriel's smile was back on his face. With a gentlemanly bow, he said, "Well, if that's so, then far be it for us to interfere. I understand. A man's got to do what a man's got to do, am I right?"

"Really?" Warren asked suspiciously. His hands were clenched into fists at his side, and they were shifting ever-closer to the pokeballs on his belt.

"Of course," Gabriel laughed- it sounded condescending, like a father speaking to a toddler. "But before we go, what say you to a pokemon battle? Two of us against two of you?"

"I'm in!" Alex all but roared, only to be pulled back by Tony and I.

Warren stepped protectively in front of us. "I really appreciate your enthusiasm, Alex," he said softly, "but didn't your pokemon get knocked out when we were in the park?"

Alex glared dangerously, one hand clasped around Faust's pokeball. "Oh no. I still have one more I can use to fight. I'll crush those egoistic sarcastic slimeballs before they even get the chance to attack and-"

"You're way out of your league, you know," the brown haired boy cut in. "These guys are way too strong for you to handle. For _any _of us to handle."

"Are you serious?" Alex gaped. "They can't be _that _strong, if they have to swagger around like that!"

"They're dragon trainers, aren't they?" Tony asked sharply, cutting into Alex's tirade.

Warren nodded, hardly surprised that Tony had figured it out. "Not just any old dragon trainer- they're from the Dragon Clan. It's going to be pretty much impossible to beat them."

I blinked in confusion for a moment, slow on the uptake. Slowly, the information that I had picked up over the course of the journey clicked, and everything suddenly became clear. Warren had introduced himself as hailing from Blackthorn. Blackthorn, the remote nothern town, where it was known as the home of Dragon trainers and pokemon; where the fabled Dragon Clan lived. It took me a while to realize exactly what everyone else seemed to know at that point- that Warren, a bug pokemon trainer, had originally came from a clan of dragon pokemon trainers. And now, his brothers wanted him to stop, lest he drag the Brightly name through the mud by not being a dragon trainer.

But that didn't matter. Right now, the only thing that mattered was for me to support Warren as his friend.

"Well, why can't you just decline the challenge, then?" I asked.

Warren glanced at me and chuckled. "You remember what Alex told you about trainer challenges?"

I hesitated. "You can't turn them down?"

"Exactly." Warren adjusted his cap, a tense smile on his face. "Now come on, Dew. I'm counting on you for this one."

"What?" I gaped at him in horror. "Why me?"

"Alex's pokemon are all knocked out from earlier, and I don't think Coil alone can stand up to dragon pokemon," Warren explained briefly. "Moreover, your Girafarig will probably help us out a lot more right now. You've never fought double battles before, have you?"

"W-what?" I repeated lamely.

"Right, well, me neither. Guess we'll have to learn on the fly." Warren grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, out from behind where I had been safely hiding next to Alex and Tony. All of a sudden, I realized a space had cleared between the crowd between us and the two Brightly brothers; almost as if some unspoken agreement had occured. In fact, it seemed like some passerbys had even stopped and stood around us in a circle, like an audience waiting for a performance to begin.

Warren's smile seemed to grow tenser by the second. "Looks like the Goldenrod crowd still loves battles as much as always."

"Are you sure it's fine to fight in the middle of the street?" I asked him in a hurried whisper, all too aware of a few curious glances thrown my way.

Warren shrugged. "It happens. They don't mind as long as we don't make _too much_ of a mess of things."

"R-right. Too much, got it."

Gabriel looked even more pleased when he noticed my nerves. "All set then, baby brother?"

Warren nodded tersely. I felt an insane urge to hide behind him when Gabriel's patronizing, soul-piercing gaze flitted over to me, but I gulped and stood my ground, staring back at Gabriel with my chin lifted. He could have been a raging Aerodactyl, or Warren's older brother, but I knew that right now, I couldn't afford to show weakness to an opponent before the battle even began.

"Wonderful," Gabriel dusted his hands and pulled out a pokeball from his jacket pocket. "Well then, shall we begin?"

Two pokeballs were tossed onto the pavement at the Brightly brother's corner; two flashes of light later, two strange pokemon were staring back at me.

One was a miniature little blue dinosaur with stubby arms and a roundish face; the other was a slender, serpentine creature with a blue back, a white underbelly, and a button nose. I had never ever seen these pokemon ever in my life, let alone know who or what they were, but they had the darkest, fiercest eyes I had ever seen (which was quite terrifying despite their general small size).

"Bagon and Dratini," Tony voiced out from behind us, just loud enough for me to hear. He met my eyes with a tight nod, his pokedex open behind us. "Be careful. They look like they've seen a few battles, if the pokedex is reading their levels right."

Warren nodded and pulled out a pokeball. I followed suit. Before long, Jaws the Trapinch was standing in front of Warren's corner of the field, gnashing his namesake in anticipation for the blood to be shed. On my corner, Girafarig appeared relatively quiet and calm, but I could tell from its skittish movements and furtive glances at Warren that it was still bothered by him for some unknown reason.

And then the battle began.

With a fierce cry, Gabriel's tiny Bagon ran at us, teeth gnashing and furious feet pattering against the stone pavement. I didn't hear any verbal command, nor did I know what was happening except that the little dragon was rushing suspiciously fast towards us and that while Girafarig may have been able to avoid the angry dragon pokemon, Jaws was much too slow to out-manouevre it.

Quite by instinct, I yelled, "Reflect!"

A giant pink wall appeared before Girafarig and a bewildered Jaws, causing the Bagon to slam right into it with a heavy thud. Girafarig flinched from the blow to the shield, but no sooner had it recovered when suddenly I felt the air around us change, and a familiar sensation washed over me- an electric move, courtesy of Henry's Dratini, poised elegantly with its tail pointing towards Girafarig, zapped over the psychic pokemon before I could do a thing.

The attack caught Girafarig by surprise, and it fell to its knees, stung by the sharp bolt of electricity. I could tell that the attack wasn't as powerful as Mareep's, but somehow, I could still see the currents dancing across Girafarig's fur, stinging and hurting far longer than a normal Thunderbolt would do. It looked almost as if the Dratini had just used...

"Thunder Wave," Warren told me, confirming my thoughts. "It's going to keep Girafarig from moving too much. Don't underestimate dragon pokemon, Dew. They can learn all sorts of attacks. Though if you can hold them off long enough for Jaws to attack..." He glanced at the little Trapinch, slowly creeping up towards where the dazed Bagon lay shaking its head.

I nodded. "Confusion!"

Girafarig staggered back upon its feet and let out a neigh, a pulse of energy erupting from the tips of its horns. The psychic waves slammed into Bagon, and it let out a squeal in pain, its tiny little body twisting on the ground. Jaws used the time to finally creep up to the little blue dragon. It readied itself and opened its jaws to inflict a serious wound on the Bagon, clamping down firmly on the little dragon's tiny feet.

I expected Gabriel to at least yell out something to comfort the dragon, but when I glanced at the two trainers, all I saw was Gabriel watching on with a smirk on his face, arms folded. In a horrible instant, I realized that he didn't care at all that the Bagon was in pain. He didn't seem to care about the fact that they were in the middle of the battle or anything. In his eyes, I could see the proud light of victory. He believed that they would win this battle, and because of that, he didn't care how badly his pokemon was getting hurt because of it.

That made me feel sick.

"Gira gi!" Girafarig yelped at me, snapping me out of my stupor. I blinked in surprise, only to realize that at that very same time, a dark cloud was starting to gather around Henry's Dratini.

"Warren!" I cried, tugging at his arm to draw his attention.

He glanced over, and his eyes widened and his face turned pale. "Not good," he whispered. "That's-"

I heard Tony gasp. "Quickly, everyone, get back!" he yelled at the audience, befuddled and confused as to what was happening. He pushed Alex back and was about to reach for Warren and I when I felt something _click. _

Henry grinned (a really horrid evil grin that gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach) and snapped his fingers. He was standing far across the street, but in that moment, it was as if the entire city had fallen silent. Even the crowd watching us had quietened down, and all that I could hear was the gathering sound of the wind and Henry's dark, twisted voice.

_"Twister." _

Dratini let out a shrill cry, and a vortex of whipping green wind started swirling around it, before tearing across the street towards us. The howling gale was all we could hear as leaves and branches were ripped from trees, and razor sharp wind slashed at our skin. Girafarig reacted faster than I did, springing into action despite the raging winds. It slammed its hooves loudly into the ground, and again, the pink protective wall of Reflect sprung as an obstacle between us and the oncoming twister.

I saw Warren run to pick up Jaws, secure in the knowledge that Girafarig's barrier would hold, but before he was even within ten paces of the tiny little Trapinch, Dratini's attack struck, and shattered the protective wall like it was nothing. With a pained yelp, Girafarig was flung backwards at me, and caught off-guard by Girafarig's weight suddenly on me and the twister slamming directly into us, I fell back onto the pavement, the now-quite-familiar pain of falling onto the floor hitting my body. I heard Warren's cry, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jaws flung high up into the air before landing in a patch of grass some distance away.

Then, suddenly, the wind stopped.

I struggled to lift Girafarig's body off mine- only to realize that this was the first time Girafarig wasn't moving by itself. I could hear its ragged breathing, feel the warmth of its breath; but when I looked at its body, all I saw were the horrendous gashes the raging wind had left on the psychic pokemon. It was still alive, but unconcious. And suddenly, I realized that Girafarig had inadvertedly taken the hit that I would have taken had it not stood in my way. Again, it had protected my life- but, once again, at the risk of it's own. And it hadn't gotten out unscathed this time.

"Only a foolish trainer puts herself in danger in the middle of battle," Henry sneered. All too suddenly, I was aware that he was standing just a few paces away, Dratini wound comfortably around his arm. "Maybe you should just quit and go home, if you're going to cry whenever your pokemon gets taken out like this, noob."

I found myself speechless at the sudden amount of venom directed at me. But before I could say anything, Gabriel crossed my field of vision.

Unlike Henry, he seemed more preoccupied with his other younger brother, propped against a tree. Jaws was nearby, and from the looks of it, both of them had taken the full brunt of the Twister. The litte Trapinch wasn't even moving, and the scratches on its skin bled freely. Warren himself had been knocked unconcious, but when Gabriel picked him up by the collar and slammed him against the tree bark, his eyes blinked open.

"H-hey!" Alex yelled out, but a quick glance from Henry silenced the other boy.

"Show's over," Henry said, glancing at the murmuring crowd around us. "Leave."

I heard the whispered words of the passerbys as they complied.

_"Brightly's boys." "Dangerous." "Dragons." "_Strong._"_

The bitter taste in my mouth didn't fade. Somehow, Alex and Tony managed to pull me away from Henry and get me to return Girafarig back to its ball, but even supported by those two, it felt as though we had lost more than just a simple, single battle.

"I'm disappointed, Warren," Gabriel said. "You said you wanted to be a bug pokemon trainer, and yet, here you are, fighting with none other than a dragon pokemon. You don't even have the strength of will to carry out your pathetic pretenses? You dishonour the Dragon Clan. Small wonder that Dad disowned you."

"Dad what?" Warren gasped, horror dawning in his eyes.

"You heard me," Gabriel smirked. "Dad disowned you. He says you're not entitled to the family funds, or any help from us any longer. It's only a matter of time before the legal notices are made, but I thought I should give you a head's up." It was as if he was taking sick pleasure in making his younger brother suffer. How could anyone be so mean to another family member, I didn't know, but with Henry glaring at us, I knew we couldn't make any sudden moves. We were completely at their mercy, and nobody would stop to help- nobody wanted to fight Rolf Brightly's sons.

Then, just like that, Gabriel released his grip on Warren's collar, and the younger boy fell onto the patch of earth and grass with a dull thud. He dusted his hands and walked towards us, completely ignoring the pained look on Warren's face.

"Well, we've proved our point and sent our message, Henry," he said. "Let's go."

"Roger that!" Henry declared, pulling out another pokeball. The pokemon that appeared before us was literally a dragon brought to life- big and blue, with red wings and the fiercest, most intimidating eyes I had ever seen on any of Arceus's creatures. It had sharp, curved claws and fangs, and a horrible disposition to match. Yet, without too much trouble, Henry vaulted onto the creature's neck, with Gabriel following suit.

_They were toying with us, _I realized. Warren was right. They never were in danger of losing- not when they had something so big and powerful on their side. They were just playing with us. Showing us how weak we really were in comparison.

"Warren," Gabriel said, his voice calm and pleasant. "You're a failure. I'm glad that you'll never have the chance to disgrace our family's name."

I saw the pain in Warren's eyes, saw the clenching of his fist as he was about to speak- but he never had the chance when Gabriel saluted and the dragon lifted off, and he was left standing silent in the middle of the pavement.

They were gone within two wingbeats of the blue dragon, soaring high above the skyscrapers of Goldenrod City. And all we could do was stare as they departed, as the crowds slowly filled in the empty spaces and the remnants of the battle were kicked away by the rush of feet and the pushing of bodies of normal daily life. The sun was still shining, and the clouds had reverted to their normal blue. A gentle breze floated through the air.

But despite it all, in that moment, I knew how useless and powerless we really were.

* * *

R&R if there's anyone reading this please~ Kthxbai, hopefully I'll get the next chapter up sooner TwT


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